The Destiny Is Yours
by Blizrun
Summary: Modern day Hyrule. Two friends experience visions of the past and are plagued by a reccuring nightmare after exploring the old castle. They then go and unravel their country's hidden past.
1. School's out

_Disclaimer: Zelda series belongs to Nintendo. Not me._

            A few years after the imprisonment of Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, magic became outlawed with no exceptions whatsoever. Hundreds of years passed, the monarchy of Hyrule was peacefully disestablished and a Republic rose in its place. Thanks to the outlawing of magic, technology began to advance at a moderate pace. However, in an attempt to dissuade anyone from ever delving into magic, all history surrounding it was no longer taught. What was once fact, became legend, which then became myth told only to quiet down children at night. The people then became the victims of an established fact known by all historians.

                                                Those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

            Link Kokirin was getting his books at the public high school in the governmental district of Hyrule's capitol. If someone from another country said that they were going to Hyrule, they meant the country. But if someone from Hyrule said that, they meant the capitol. Link was seventeen years old, a C+ average student, and a decent athlete. Right now, he was grumbling at how slow that Friday was going. "Hey, Link!"

            At the sound of the voice, Link turned to see his best friend Keith Subron jog over to him. One of the reasons why they hung out was that they both had an odd thing about themselves. Where Link had his name, which was passed down through his family every other generation, Keith had his hair. It was, naturally, the color of silver. He and his family had no idea why, he was just born like that.

            "Hey Keith, what's up?" "Nothing much." "Why weren't you on the bus this morning?" "Remember that we blew the main fuse yesterday when we had our music turned up too high?" "Yeah, but we fixed it and all the electrical appliances before your parents got home." "I know, it's just that I forgot to reset my alarm." "Heh, well, sucks to be you." "Ha, ha."

            Keith than spotted something that made his head spin. "Whoa Link, check it out. Hot chick at seven o clock!" Link turned around and was stunned. Before him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She looked to be the same age as him and Keith, with long blond hair, the same color as Link's, and blue eyes the color of Lake Hylia. "Damn! Who is she?" "Don't know, haven't seen her before."

            Just then, the bell rang. "Next period's starting. Talk to you later Keith." "Talk to you later." Both then rushed to their separate classes. Later that day, after putting his books away, Link went to meet Keith by his locker. As usual, the lock was giving him problems. Link announced himself by banging the door once, opening it.

            "Thanks Link." Keith said as he put his books away. "No problem." "Oh hey, I found out who that girl is from earlier." Link had been hoping that he had found something out about her. "Who is she?" "Her name is Zelda King." "King? Any relation to billionaire car tycoon George King?" "She's his daughter. They just moved to the Kakariko Heights district this week." "Holy shit! What's a girl like her doing in a place like this?" "Don't know. Hey, there she is."

            Link turned to see Zelda stopping at what was obviously her locker further, down the hall. "Hey, dare ya to go down and talk to her." Link gulped. Normally he had girls literally falling at his feet just begging to go out with him. However he hesitated about doing this simple thing. "I don't know. She seems like she's in a rush."

            Keith was visibly taken back. "What?!? You mean all go, balls to the wall, Link Kokirin is actually afraid to do something?" "You don't have to rub it in." "Yeash. You've tried to grind a three foot wall on your first try on a skateboard four years ago. That took serious guts that even I don't have." Link rolled his eyes. He remembered the experience vividly from the six weeks his leg spent in a cast.

            "Yeah, well. I just don't know. I got this weird feeling when I even first looked at her." "I think somebody has a crush." "Oh, get off it. First off she lives in the high rent, rich section of the capitol. Her family, even before the car was invented, was rolling in money. I highly doubt she'd go for a guy who lives in the Lake Hylia suburbs, not exactly the best place of this place to live in."

            "Yeah, yeah." Link cast one more look at Zelda before getting on with today's business. "So, what are we going to this weekend? Go see Resident Evil when it comes out on Sunday?" Keith's face was suddenly plastered with a devilish grin. "Actually, I thought of something we could do today." Link became intrigued. "Really? Do tell."

            "How much money do you have on you?" "I've got a few singles, why?" "Good, I've got a five. I say we buy a pair of maglites and go check out the old castle." "Sounds like fun, but how do we convince our parents to let us stay here. This isn't a good place to be when it gets dark out." Link said, referring to the weapons ban to any non law enforcement people in the city.

            "I know, we'll just stay until about quarter to five. Then we take public transit home. We'd have enough money left to pay for the ride. As for our parents, I'll just think of an excuse to tell them. Remember, I've got a damn good brain in this head." "I don't see a problem with it." "Great, I'll meet you at the entrance in five minutes."

            Five minutes later, Link was standing at the entrance. 'I wonder how much longer he'll be." He though as he looked at his watch. He heard feet behind him and turned around to see Keith coming down the stairs. "Well? Did it work?" He saw the long look on Keith's face and could tell that he had failed. Then a smile broke out like sunrise over Death Mountain. "Hook, line and sinker."

            "Yes." Link said as pulled his elbow back in a sort of victory move. They walked down to a hobby shop and bought the two maglites. It was three o' clock by the time they were near the drawbridge to the castle. For a while the palace had been a museum to teach people about their past, but with the advent of electricity, it became cost prohibitive to redo the place with lights and heating, so it was closed off to the public.

            As they drew near, Link felt a shiver crawl up his back. He looked up to see just an old stone building. "Keith, I think we should go back." "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now?" "It's not that I'm afraid. It's just that, well. I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this." "Come on, Link. This is the second time today that you've gotten scared. It's just a creaky old palace. No one's been inside for over a hundred years." "Yeah, you're right. Let's go." Despite his words and friend's reassurance, Link couldn't get rid of the ominous feelings.

_Well, how's that for a first chapter?  Know this angle's being a bit over done, but I've got surprises and twists planned in later chapters. Please read and review. Until next time!_


	2. A Link to the Past

_Disclaimer: Zelda series=Nintendo   Story=mine_

            Link and Keith reached the side entrance to the castle when they met their first obstacle. "It's locked." Link said as he jiggled the handle. "Oh well, we tried. Let's go." He continued, the bad feeling he had still present. "Relax, I anticipated this so I came prepared." Keith replied as he reached into the pockets of his sweatjacket. "What, do you have the key or something?"

            "Nope, I've got something better." Keith's hand came out to reveal, "Paper clips? How are they going to help?" "Watch." He started undoing the bends in the clips making one as straight as can be and the other one only half unbent. Holding them up to Link's face, Keith answered his question. "A crude, but effective lockpick."

            Keith immediately set to work picking the lock on the door. "We can be lucky that the doors are replaced every once in a while or I wouldn't be able to do this." "Can't we get in trouble for doing this?" The door made an audible click as the lock fell open. "Yeah, but who cares? No one ever comes around here anymore." Pocketing the lockpick, Keith opened the door and they stepped inside.

            Turning on his maglite, Link scanned the beam around. "Wow. This place really is old!" "What do you expect? Hyrule was once a monarchy." Keith said as he relocked the door. "Why'd you do that?" "Just in case a cop comes by or something. Let's go look around." Link was visibly uneasy about not having a quick escape in case something went wrong.

            'Come on Link. This isn't like you at all. Like Keith said, it's just and old building.' He told himself. It didn't work however, as the ominous feeling grew with every step. "Would you look at that." Keith said as he saw something. "What?" Link replied as he searched for Keith's source of wonder. "That symbol up there."

            Link looked at what Keith's maglite was pointing at. "Three triangles. Do you have any idea what they mean?" "Not a clue." Keith moved on, but Link stared at the symbol for a little longer. Shaking his head, he caught up to Keith. They walked through the open pathways, their maglites the only source of illumination. "Look at these hedges! They must haven't been cut for at least seventy years!"

            Link wasn't paying attention, his mind troubled. "Leave….." He looked around for the source of the sound. "Keith, did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "A voice. It said 'leave'." "I didn't hear a thing." Link looked around, fear gnawing at his soul. "Leave this place." 'There it is again.' The hedges stopped as they came to window that had long been covered with dust and spray paint.

            "Hey, look. A private garden." Keith pointed out as he looked to their left. But Link wasn't paying attention. He had a headache that began as a slight bit of pressure, but quickly escalated to a strong throb. "Keith, I don't feel so good." He said as he clutched his now burning stomach. "Link, what's wrong? Tell me!" Keith forgot all about the castle, his friend taking priority. Link could barely hear him, let alone answer. "Link? LIIINNNNKKK!?!" He passed out.

            When Link next opened his eyes, they were met with the bright sun of midday. His headache and stomach ache were gone. 'How long have I been out?' He thought as he got up. He leaned against the wall as he gathered his wits. 'Wait a minute, where's the layer of dust?' Running his finger over the wall, he saw that it was dust free. 'Not only that, but it looks like brand new. Well, compared to before.'

            The sound of footsteps behind caught his attention. Whirling around, he saw a small figure run by. "Hey, you!" Link called out. He then got a good look at the figure who had ran by him. 'Where in the world did that kid get those clothes?' The kid was wearing a green tunic, brown leather boots, a green hat on his head, and a piece of wood strapped to his back. Link watched as the kid looked around in amazement at the garden.

            Looking around himself, Link was stunned at the sight that beheld his eyes. "I'm… I've gone back to the time of the monarchy!" He saw another kid, one dressed long, regal looking robes. The green clothed kid walked up behind the other one and opened his mouth. "Uhhh, excuse me." The robed kid turned around at the sound of his voice.

            Link's jaw dropped as he saw the other kid. 'If Zelda was a kid, that's what she'd look like.' He walked over and stood behind the first kid as he eavesdropped on their conversation. Link watched and listened as the girl started going into a dream. 'Fairies, green stones, dark clouds?!? This kid should be institutionalized.' He shook his head at her rambling.

            "Oh, I'm sorry! I got so caught up in my story, I didn't properly introduce myself." The girls expression changed as she put on an air of authority. "I am Zelda, princess of Hyrule." Again, Link's jaw dropped. 'Her name is also Zelda? This is getting a little freaky.' "What's your name?" The kid hesitated, then gave in. "I'm Link."

            Link got so stunned by what he heard, that he fell backwards off of the stairs. 'His name is also Link!?!?!' Getting back up, he went over and looked at 'Link's' face. "AHHHHHHH!" Once again he was so stunned that he fell, but this time into the small stream. 'He look's just like me when I was ten! What the hell is going on here?' Getting up, Link was surprised to find himself still dry.

            Putting his arms on the platform at the top of the steps, Link listened as 'Zelda' told a story about the creation of the world. His mind was rejecting everything he heard. 'Oh come on, there is no such thing as goddesses, or the triforce. The world was created in a swirl of dust that came together at just the right way.' Part of him accepted the religious angle however, as he had never fully believed the scientific reason.

            'Zelda' finished the story and invited 'Link' to look in the window that she was. Link got out of the stream and looked also. He watched as a dark skinned man, who 'Zelda' called Ganondorf bowed before who must be the king. He looked over at where the three of them were standing and Link felt a shiver run down his spine. 'This is getting too weird. That guy seems familiar.'

            Link followed his younger self as he left the garden. He was cut off by a tall, muscular looking woman standing in the way. 'Hey, her hair is the same color as Keith's.' Link listened as the woman introduced herself as Impa, the caretaker of the princess. She then whistled a song to 'Link' who promptly played it on his ocarina. Link also played an ocarina and was able to memorize the song. Then there was a flash of light and Link was unconscious again.

            Keith was nervously pacing back and forth. When Link had passed out, he propped him up against the wall. 'We should have never come here. I'm going to get us in big trouble when we get home. Link then groaned and started to stir. Running over, Keith went to help him to his feet. "Link! Are you alright?" Pushing away his hands, Link replied. "Yeah I'm fine."

            "Are you sure?" "I said I was fine!" Keith was taken back the anger in his friend's voice. "What's gotten into you? Ever since this morning, you've been acting strange." All Link did was laugh. "Strange? I'll tell you strange! As a matter of fact, I'll go beyond that to just plain fucked up!" He then began to tell Keith his entire experience of in the past.

            When he was finished, Keith had the idea to knock Link out and drag him to the hospital. "Link, have you been feeling well lately? Any undue stress that I'm not aware of?" Link then simply sighed. "Alright, so you think I'm going nuts. Okay, fine. Hell, if I was in your position I'd think the same thing." An awkward silence fell between them. "So, what do we do?" "Let's keep going. If we show up at home early, our parents will know we were lying and we'd probably get grounded for the weekend."

            Picking up their maglites, they continued exploring the garden. "Okay Link, if you really did see the past, where does this window lead to?" asked Keith as he motioned to the window above the stairs. "I think that leads to the throne room. I'm not sure totally sure though." Casting a wary look at Link, Keith pulled himself through the empty hole in the wall. When he got through, he looked to the right and was surprised to find the royal throne sitting there.

            "This is really weird." "Told you so." Link said as he got inside. "Well, come on. We still got tons of time left and it's a huge castle. I was out for, what, ten minutes?" Now getting a weird feeling of his own, Keith became quiet and followed Link through the palace.

            A hour later, after having explored only a small part of the castle, Link looked at his watch. "Shit! We gotta go! The bus for home leaves in forty minutes." "Well, let's find a map and get going." Twenty minutes later, they were out and on their way to the bus stop by the old drawbridge. Suddenly the headache and stomachache that had hit Link before hit him and Keith again. "Augh. Damn, Link. Whatever bug you have is contagious!" They both fell unconscious, unaware of the storm brewing.

            Keith opened his eyes to see Link was lying on the ground unconscious next to him. "Hey Link, wake up." He said as he pushed him. "I'm up. I'm up." Link got up and looked around. "What the hell? The drawbridge is closed!" "What? That's impossible." Keith looked to see that not only was it closed, but it was during the day and torches blazed on either side.

            "Hey! Open up!" Keith shouted at whoever was doing this. A cold wind started to blow and dark clouds began to gather at the bridge. A crack of thunder was heard and it started to pour. Walking over to Keith, his sneakers splashing in the puddles, Link looked up at the sky. "Well, it can't any worse than this."

            The sound of boots running through water brought their attention behind them. Keith was stunned to find a ten year old version of Link standing behind them, dressed exactly the same way as he was described. "Oh, no. Not again." Link said mildly. The sound of chains creaking turned them around. Looking, they could vaguely make out the shapes of people running and some of them doing it while fighting.

            "What the hell is going on?" "Don't ask me. It wasn't like this before." The stampeding of hoofs came from inside the drawbridge as a white horse appeared, bearing two passengers. "Whoa!" Link, Keith, and 'Link' moved out of the way of the beast. "Hey, Princess Zelda was on that thing along with Impa!" 'Link' exclaimed as he looked after them. A gasp was barely heard as 'Zelda' twisted herself around and threw an object towards them.

            "She's got one hell of a good arm!" "Yeah. She'd even put quite a few NFL players to shame." The object landed in the moat with a plunk. The sound of a horse stopping pulled Link's and Keith's attention to it. Their eyes widened in fear as they beheld the rider on the black stead. "Link, this is just a guess a guess, but is that who you called Ganondorf?" "Uh huh." Was the only thing Link was able to say.

            "Damn, I missed them." He said. Looking down, he noticed 'Link' standing there. "You there! Little Kid! Which way did the white horse go? Answer me!" 'Link' took a step back into a defensive position. "I'm not going to tell you!" "So, you think that you can protect them huh? You've got guts kid." 'Link's' only response was arm himself. Link watched as he held the piece of wood on his right hand like a shield and drew a sword with his left. "Yea, good for you!" he cheered.

            "Heh… Heh… Heh… So, you want a piece of me? Very funny! I like your attitude!" Ganondorf raised left hand and charged up a ball of black magic. "No!" Link jumped in the path of the ball when he shot, but it was useless. It passed right through him and hit his younger self straight in the chest. They both hit the mud at the same time. "Link!" Keith rushed over to help his friend up off of the ground.

            "Fool! Do you realize who you're dealing with? I am Ganondorf, and soon I shall rule the world!" With that, he reared his horse and continued his pursuit. The three of them simply watched as the storm succumbed and the rain cease. "The Ocarina of Time!" Link watched as his younger self dove into the moat after the object 'Zelda' had thrown. Walking over, Link and Keith watched as he came up out of the water and pulled himself onto the ground.

            Their vision clouded as they beheld a recording of sorts. They listened as 'Zelda' explained a few things and then played a tune called the 'Song of Time'. They heard 'Link' play the same tune, which Link also memorized. The last thing they heard before seeing the bright light was, "Play the Song of Time before the altar…"

            Keith opened his eyes to find himself lying face up in the rain. 'Man, what just happened?' A nearby groan signaled Link's return to consciousness. "Are we back?" "Yeah, we're back. What did we just see?" "I'm guessing it was the past." Getting off of the ground, they retrieved their maglites and pocketed them. Keith than took the moment to bring up a very important subject.

            "Link, why is it raining?" "How should I know? I don't control the weather." "I know. It's just that in the 'vision', or whatever you want to call it, it was raining." Noticing that himself, Link also began to wonder. "Well this day's been weird enough, so why not this." Keith pulled his hood over his head in a vain attempt to shield it from the pounding rain.

            After they had been standing there for five minutes, the bus pulled up and opened its doors. "Where to kids?" "Lake Hylia suburbs." "Sorry, the road to there is all flooded. Closest I can get you his Lon Lon Ranch." Link turned to Keith. "What do we do now, walk?" "Are you crazy? It'll take all night to get there. We should go to the ranch and call home from there.

            "Last chance." Link shrugged his shoulders. "Well, they're the only place in this city with a hotel, so why not?" Climbing on board, they paid the fare and took their seats. They could feel the other passengers stare at the two mud stained and rain soaked boys. 'I feel like shit.'

            After a bumpy ride over Hyrule field, the bus pulled up at the entrance to the ranch. Link, Keith, and a few other passengers got off. The rest of the people went to what was either their home or building of employment as Link and Keith ran to the hotel. Lon Lon Ranch was the oldest ranch in all of Hyrule and had been in the hands of the Lon family for all time. Besides sporting a four star hotel, it had a few other buildings that served various purposes. But it still was primarily a farm complete with a grazing area that was fenced in.

            As soon as they stepped inside, Link went over to the pay phones and Keith looked for the bathroom. Putting in the proper change he dialed his phone number. 'I hope someone's home and not out doing road work.' The other end picked up and his Dad's voice spoke.

            "Hello?" "Hi dad, it's me." "Link, you're safe. When the storm hit, we got worried that the bus got into an accident. Is Keith with you? His parents are worried as well." "Yeah, he's with me. Listen dad, I've got some bad news." "What?" "According to what the bus driver told us, the road home is flooded. Right now, we're at the ranch." "Oh great. Well, looks like you're going to have to spend the night there. I'll give you my credit card number, but you're only allowed a basic two bed package. No room service WHATSOEVER." "Yes Dad." Link's dad gave him his number and he hung up.

            Keith walked over to where Link was standing. "So, what's the scoop?" "We're staying here for the night. My dad gave me his credit card number." "Sweeeet." Keith said, idea's forming in his head. "I wish. He said that we can't get any extras." "Dammit." They walked over to the counter and got the room.

            Ten minutes later, Link and Keith were in their room, wet clothes drying by the heater, bathrobes covering their bodies. Sitting on their beds, Link was idly flipping the channels on their TV. "I wish you had got us one premium channel. Your dad wouldn't have minded that." "Hey, better safe than sorry." "Yeah, yeah. Well, turn on the weather channel. Maybe they have an explanation for this storm."

            Link turned it on just in time to catch the beginning of the special on the storm. A goron anchorman sat at his desk with papers in hand. "Meteorologists continue to be puzzled by this freak storm, deemed one of the worst in Hyrule's long history. We go now to our spotter in the field." The screen changed to show a Zora standing in the middle of Hyrule Field, wind blowing at the umbrella he had over his head. "Conditions continue to worsen as winds pass the 25 mph mark and Lake Hylia is reported to be experiencing some slight flooding. At this time, residents of Hyrule City are urged to remain indoors."

            Link pressed the power button on the remote. "Well, so much for science." "Let's hit the sack, I'm beat from this afternoon." Following Keith's example, Link turned out the light and soon fell asleep.

            That night, three individuals shared a nightmare. They saw all of Hyrule in ruins, the sky permanently dark from the never dispersing storm clouds. The armies of the world fought in vain to hold back unearthly demons. They saw the governmental district of Hyrule City littered with crows as they fed upon the never ending supply of corpses. The once proud castle was gone, replaced by a towering black spire that floated over molten lava. The silhouette of a man appeared in a window at the top of the tower. They heard the man laugh, long, victoriously, evil laughter.


	3. The Journey Begins

_Disclaimer: You get the idea by now._

            When Link awoke the following morning, he felt as if he only got six hours of sleep last night. He could hear the shower running, signifying that Keith was already up and about. Getting out of his bed, he walked over to the bathroom door. "Keith, hurry up. I have to take one too." Link then walked over to where his clothes hung. 'That was a weird nightmare.' As soon as he gathered his clothes, the bathroom door opened and Keith walked out. "It's all yours."

            Link locked the door behind him and turned the water on. The water felt refreshing over his body, as if it was washing away not only the dirt, but bad memories from yesterday. After he was finished, he pulled his clothes on and stepped out. Keith was sitting on the edge of his bed watching the TV. "Hey Link, that storm yesterday was really messed up." "I know that already." "No, even more than that. They said it was going to go on for at least three days, but it stopped around midnight."

            Turning the TV off, they went down to the dining area to have some breakfast. Link chose sausage, eggs, and hash browns while Keith took pancakes. They got a table and started eating. "So Link," said Keith between bites, "when's your dad coming to pick us up?" "Don't know." Sitting in silence, they finished their meal. After putting their dishes in the wash bin, Link suggested that they look around the ranch until his dad got there.

            After looking at the extremely boring cows and cuccos,  Link and Keith were watching the horses when they were surprised by a visitor. "Hi, I haven't seen you two around here before." Turning around, they were met by a red head who had on a working outfit. "Who are you?" "My name's Malon Lon, my family owns this ranch. Who are you two?" "I'm Link Kokirin." "And I'm Keith Subron." Malon extended her hand which Link and Keith shook.

            "So, what brings you two out here to the ranch?" "The way home got flooded last night. We're waiting for my dad to come and get us." They watched in silence as a bunch of horses ran by. "Horses are such magnificent creatures." Malon said, almost in wonder. "Have you ever ridden one?" "Nope." "Not me." A smile came over her face, "Well, I'll let ride one if you want to. "Keith shook his head violently. "No way." Link, on other hand, gave it a shot.

            After Malon had explained to him how to ride a horse, Link was gently riding around the fence while Keith and Malon watched him. "Your friend seems to have a natural talent for riding a horse." "Maybe, but you don't know Link." Malon turned her head in question. "What do you mean? He seems like a nice guy." "Oh, yeah, he is. But he has guts like you wouldn't believe." She simply turned her back to watching Link, who decided to show his guts right then.

            Link gave the horse a good smack, sending from a steady canter, to full run. "LINK! YOU STUPID IDIOT!" Keith yelled out. Link ignored him though, the rush of doing something new filled him. However, he failed to take into account the fact that he was a novice at doing this. The horse veered off of the dirt track and headed for a corner. "Whoa, boy! Whoa!" It didn't do any good though, as all it did was cause the horse to stop, sending Link flying through the air. After being airborne for a second, he landed in a small section that thankfully had a roof over it.

            "OOOHHHHFFF!" Link landed with a thud and stopped when he hit the wall. Keith and Malon ran over to where he was laying. "I told you he had more guts than common-sense." Bending down, Malon examined him for any external wounds. "Are you crazy? You could've been killed!" Link got up and brushed himself off. "Well, at least this section was dry." His comment got him a smack in the head from Keith. "Stupid." Link simply gave him a silly smile and walked off.

            Twenty minutes later, Link saw his dad pull up in his van. "My dad's here. Nice meeting you Malon, and thanks for letting me ride a horse." Malon waved as the two boys got into the van and drove off. "Who was that you were waving to?" "Malon Lon." Link's dad gave his son a smile. "So, when's your first date?" "DAD!" His father simply laughed. "Thanks for picking us up Mr. Kokirin." "Hey, no problem."

            The van pulled up into Link's driveway and the passengers got out. "I guess I should go home. My parents are probably worried about me. See you later Link." "See you later." They waved and Link went into his house. As soon as he got inside, he was immediately hugged by his mom. "I'm glad you're home. I got so worried when it started pouring." "Mom, I'm okay. I was with Keith the whole time. We could survive a war together." Link didn't know that his words would be put to the test.

            Keith tried to open the door to his house to find it locked. 'Figures. No one's probably up yet.' Getting out his house keys, he unlocked the door and went inside. Locking the door behind him, he went up to his room and got changed out of yesterday's clothes. Putting on clean ones, Keith lied on his bed and tried to get some more sleep. 'That nightmare was weird as all hell.' Thinking about all the good things in his life, he soon drifted off to sleep.

            Once again, Keith had the same nightmare. Upon waking up, he felt even more tired than when he first lied down. Getting up, he went out to the living room. Inside, he found his parents sitting on the couch and watching television. "Hello." "It's about time you woke up. I guess that the hotel didn't suit you?" "No, the hotel was fine." "By the way, Link called about an hour ago. Be sure to call him back." Putting on his sneakers, Keith walked the two blocks from his house to Link's.

            Link was in his room, listening to some music when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." He stopped the tape as the door opened. "Hey man." "Hey Keith. What did your parents do when you got home?" "They were still sleeping." Link put the tape back on and Keith sat in his beanbag chair. The two sat in silence as they wound down from yesterday and this morning. Keith went to tossing Link's football up into the air and catching it while Link played a few notes on his ocarina.

            "Hey Link, about that instrument of yours." Keith said as he put the ball down. "What about it?" "What was it called again?" "An ocarina." "Can I see it for a sec?" Link tossed it to him. Keith examined the instrument with an eagle's eye. "Why do you want to look at it anyway?" "Remember the name of that thing that Princess Zelda tossed to your younger self?" "Yeah, it was called the Ocarina of Time. What about it?" "Well, before my vision clouded, I got a good look at the it." He tossed the ocarina back to Link. "I think you're holding it right now."

            "No way! That was the past that we saw. If it was still around, it'd be nothing but dust right now." "How long have you had that ocarina?" "It's been in my family for generations." "Well, if it's that true, than it should show signs of aging, shouldn't it?" "Yeah." "Well, does it?" Link looked at his instrument. Running his hand over the surface, it felt as smooth as the day it was carved. "I'm not saying that it is the Ocarina of Time, but it's the same color and it seems like it was made just yesterday. Another thing which caught my eye is the fact that it has the symbol of the Triforce near the mouthpiece.

            "Well, even it IS the Ocarina of Time, what good does that do us?" Getting off of the beanbag, Keith looked out the window. "According to that 'recording', if the Song of Time is played in front of the altar in the Temple of Time with the Ocarina of Time, something will happen." Link chuckled a little bit. "Time seems to be a recurring word." "I'm serious Link." He sighed at his friend's persistence. "But what is the something, hm?" "Well, there's only one way to find out." Keith looked straight at his friend.

            Linked rolled his eyes. "Well, for one, we don't even know if this temple exists anymore. And two, if it does, we don't know where it is." The look on Keith's face was replaced with one of pride. "Oh, it still exists. And we've been there before." "Yeah, when? I don't recall on religious buildings in Hyrule City." "It's not being used as a place of worship any more. I'm pretty sure that what was then the Temple of Time, is now the hall of records in the governmental district."

            "You are crazy. I'm not going back there today." "Well, then how about tomorrow?" Link thought it over and agreed. "So, what do we do until then?" "You said that in your first vision that you heard a different tune, right?" "Yeah, it was the song of the royal family." Opening the door, Keith responded. "Why don't you play it somewhere a little more private and out of the way?" "Okay, where?" "How about on the island?"

            What Keith meant by 'on the island' was the large island in the middle of the lake. Ridding their bicycles, Link and Keith reached it in half an hour. Standing on top of a small, stone platform, they could see all of the lake. No one went out to the island at all. It had no retail value due to the fact that the platform couldn't be destroyed. Standing on top of it, Link put his ocarina to his lips and started playing.

            The tune echoed across the lake, reaching the ears of all in the area. Everyone stopped to listen to it. After three minutes of continual playing, Link stopped. "Wow." Was all he was able to say. "I'm not sure Link, but I think I saw the ocarina glowing while you were playing it." The two boys sat down and started discussing possible events that would happen when they played the Song of Time.

            The day went by rather quickly and they biked home to have dinner. As he sat eating his meatloaf, Link's parents were noticing his unusual quietness. "So, Link, what did you do at the ranch last night when you got there?" "Nothing much, watched TV for a while then we went to bed." His parents looked at each other. "What did you make of that music this afternoon?" Link stopped at its mentioning. "What music?" His mom got a little exasperated. "Link, we heard you play that song on your ocarina." "Oh, THAT music. What about it?" "Where did you learn a song like that?" Link's mind raced to make up a suitable excuse.

            "I found it yesterday in the trash bin at school. The paper was too dirty for me to take home, but I was able to memorize the notes." "Okay." Their dinner continued without further incident. That night, Link lay in bed wondering exactly what was going on and what he and Keith were getting themselves in to. 'I really hope that this is going to be worth it.' He fell asleep, and once again three people across Hyrule shared a nightmare.

            Link woke up, got changed, ate breakfast, and said goodbye to his mom. "Keith and I are going out for today." "Alright, but be back before dinner. Have a good time." Keith did the same, with the exception of leaving a note for his still sleeping parents. Taking his moped out of the garage, he grabbed his helmet and went over to Link's. Link was gassing up his moped when Keith came up his driveway. "Hey Link, almost ready to go?" "Yeah, just a sec."

            Link topped off his tank and put the gas can back in his garage. Walking out with his helmet, he called out to Keith, "Equipment check." Keith nodded and put his helmet on. A few months ago, he had rigged up a radio in their helmets so they could talk to each other while ridding. "Link, can you hear me?" "Loud and clear." "Great, let's get going." Climbing on their mopeds, they started up the engines and sped off to the governmental district.

            While they were riding, Link decided to ask Keith a few questions. "Hey, how do you know that the hall of records is the Temple of Time?" "Well, a while ago, I looked through the back room door while an employee went back there, and I saw what looked like an altar. The vision reminded me of it." "Oh, okay. So, how do we get in? It's closed on weekends." "Remember, I've got a lockpick." Link fell silent and the rest of the ride continued without any talking.

            An hour later they parked their mopeds and walked up to the hall of records. Looking up at it, Link could tell that it easily as old as the castle, maybe older. "Who knows, you might be right Keith." "Yeah, maybe. Could you give me some cover?" Link stood in front of Keith as he worked on the lock. A minute later, Keith gave the all clear and they slipped inside. Locking the door behind them,  Link flipped on the lights.

            "This place is HUGE!" "Yeah, I know." They quietly walked down the center aisle as they observed the racks of books on the wall and in bookcases. "Hey, check this out, another one of those stone platforms." Keith looked down and saw it. Taking a piece of paper and pen from a nearby desk, he made a copy of the symbol on it. "This symbol is different than the one out by the lake. There might be a connection." "Let's just hurry and get out of here before someone sees us."

            Opening the back room's door, Keith looked in triumph. ""What did I tell you? This place IS the Temple of Time." Link was stunned. Only ten feet away from him, was the altar from the vision. When they walked up to it, Keith let out a gasp. "What the hell?!?" "What? What's wrong?" "The inscription, I can read it!" "What? Impossible! That's ancient Hylian, only a few people are ever allowed to learn it." "I know, but somehow, I can understand it." "Well, what does it say?" Keith read it, loud and clear.

                                                            The Hero's Triumph, on Cataclysm's Eve                                                                                                                     Wins Three Symbols of Virtue                                                                                                                                      The Master Sword, He Will Then Retrieve                                                                                                                    Keeping the Knight's Line True

            They both felt a shiver run down their spine. "Keith, are we sure we want to do this?" He thought long and hard on that. "Yes." Link couldn't believe his ears. "Are you nuts!?! The poem said 'on Cataclysm's Eve'. That means when the world comes to an end. I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't want to be responsible for the end of the world." Keith turned to him. "Link, I think I know why we saw what we did. Cataclysm's eve is already here! We were meant to do this. Remember, it say's 'Eve'. The cataclysm isn't here yet. If we just sit back and ignore it, then it will happen!"

            Link fell silent at that. "So, what do we do?" "What we came here to do. Stand in front of the altar and play the Song of Time." Unsure of anything, Link stepped in front of the altar and played the Song of Time. The haunting song echoed throughout the building, but nothing happened. They just stood there. "That was rather, anticlimactic." Keith said. It then hit Link. "Duh! No wonder why nothing happened!" He smacked himself mentally.

            "What?" "We need the three Spiritual Stones. I remember from the first vision that that's what Princess Zelda said what you need to get in here. My younger self had the Spiritual Stone of the Forest." Keith looked with bewilderment. "And the only place where that could be is the forest to the east of the ranch!" "That makes sense, in an odd, twisted manner." Energy flowing through him like never before, Link started running back to the entrance. "Then what are we waiting for? It's only eleven o' clock, we've got tons of time left in the day!" Keith caught up to him as they ran out, got on their mopeds, and sped away.

            "Now Link, how do you know that this stone is in the forest?" "In my vision, that's where my younger self came from and he had it." "What if it's in some sort of private collection or something now?" "Then we're fucked." By one they had reached the entrance to the woods. They slowed their mopeds as they avoided the dense foliage. "What are we looking for?" "Not a clue." What they didn't know is that they were stalked the second they entered the forest.

            A cry pierced the air, immediately followed by rustling in the bushes behind them. "Wolfos!" Link looked behind to see the gray form of one catching up to him. "Shit, we got to lose it!" "How do you propose we do that?!?" Link thought for a moment and he got an idea. Not even bothering to tell Keith, he zoomed off in a separate direction. The Wolfos followed him. He looked around, trying to find something to use against the thing.

            Looking up ahead, Link saw the perfect weapons. The Wolfos followed closely, just as he expected. When he reached the tree, he grabbed hold of an outstretched branch and quickly let go. The branch hit the Wolfos right in the head, the blow killing it. Link stopped his moped and looked back. "YES!" Keith heard his cry of triumph over the radio. "You killed it?" "Oh, yeah." "Great! But um, where are you?" Link suddenly realized that he was lost.

            "Link, rev up your bike, I'll locate you by the sound." Keith turned of his moped and took of his helmet. He heard the distant 'vroom' of Link's moped. Putting his helmet back on, he let Link know that he was about a mile and a half away. Keith made his way through the undergrowth to Link's location. As he was riding, he got an eerie feeling, like he was being watched. Looking around, he could see no one around though. It didn't come to him that his watchers would be using camouflage until the dart hit his arm. He had just enough time to stop his bike and get off until he passed out.

            Link opened his eyes to find himself lying on a grassy field. The last thing he remembered was that he was waiting for Keith and then felt something prick his back. Shaking his head, he looked around and saw Keith standing a few feet away from him. "Keith!" He turned at the sound of Link's voice. "You're finally up. You've been out for two hours." Standing up, Link walked over to Keith. "What happened?" "Our mopeds disturbed the Kokiri, and they came and knocked us out. We're lucky that the tranquilizer is only short lived."

            "Kokiri? What are they?" *They art the children of the forest.* Link spun around. "Who said that? Show yourself!" *Ha ha ha. Such bravery against what is unknown to thee.* Link still looked around for the source of the voice. "Keith, do you hear it?" "Yeah, I hear it. Link, meet the Great Deku Tree." Keith motioned to the tall tree in front of him. Link looked in awe. It was the biggest tree he had ever seen. But that was the least of things that he noticed. It had what appeared to be a mustache and two eyebrows.

            *I am the Great Deku Tree, guardian of these sacred wood and of the Kokiri. I have been talking with thy friend Keith for some time. Thou art on a quest, according to him, to find the three Spiritual Stones." Link found it a little weird to talk to a tree. "Uh, yeah. We don't know how far we'll get, but that's the plan. I know that one of them is called the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, so I thought that it was here in the forest."

            *How did this knowledge come to thee?* "I had a vision in which someone who looked like a younger version of me had it." Link then felt as if someone was looking inside of him at something. *Ah, yes. I can see that thou art his descendant. Thou hast proven thy courage in undertaking this quest. I shall give to thee the stone which you seek. Thou shall need to find the other two spiritual stones if thee is to open the way. I know not the location of the other stones however. Their names are the stone of fire and the stone of water.*

            A green light appeared in front of Link that materialized to become a shining green stone. He reached up into the air and it fell into his hands. "Keith, hold this. My pockets aren't big enough." "Sure thing." Keith took the stone and put it in his sweatjacket's pocket. *A Kokiri shall show thee the way out. I wish thee good luck and safety on thy journey.* "Thank you, Great Deku Tree." Link heard footsteps behind and saw what must be a Kokiri.

            He had nothing but green clothes on, and with brown hair that covered his eyes. "Come with me. This isn't a good place to get lost for a Hylian." "Okay." Link and Keith followed the Kokiri through a short tunnel and exited in his village. "Wow, you kids live in trees?" "Yeah, so what?" "Well, I thought you might have a regular house or at least a grass hut." The Kokiri remained silent as he led them down a dirt path to the other end of the village.

            Leaning up against a tree was their mopeds. "Go through this tunnel and over the bridge and you'll be back in the forest. Just go straight and you'll get out. "Okay, thanks." Getting his gear back on, Link told Keith that this was enough for one day and that they should head back home. "Sure, It's almost three o' clock anyways." Starting up their mopeds, Link and Keith sped through the tunnel and over the bridge. An hour later they pulled onto the road where they live.

            "Gotta go now. See you tomorrow Link." "See you tomorrow Keith." Link got off of his moped and walked it into his garage. 'I hope that Keith will hide the stone.' Wiping his feet off, he went inside and announced his return. When he fell asleep that night, the dream altered. When it normally ended, it didn't, and Link found himself standing on the field. A chill covered his body as the wind blew harshly and never ending. "Hello! Is anyone out there?" He called out. Lightning flashed and all of a sudden, he was surrounded by six beings. Each of them was wearing a brown cloak and they all had a medallion with a different symbol hanging around their necks.

            "What's going on around here?" Link asked to them. They then began to speak at the same time, their voices converging into one.

                                                                        The time is now,                                                                                                                                                           The destiny is yours,                                                                                                                                                     Go forth and take it.

            Link was confused at this. "What do you mean?"

                                                                        The time is now,                                                                                                                                                           The destiny is yours,                                                                                                                                                     Go forth and take it.

            "Stop it! Tell me! What the hell is going on?!?"

                                                                        The time is now,                                                                                                                                                           The destiny is yours,                                                                                                                                                     Go forth and take it!

            Link was then hit with a pain like no other that manifested itself in his head. He dropped to his knees and screamed in pain as images flashed through his head, to quickly for him to remember. At last he couldn't take it anymore. The pain stopped and Link's dream ended.


	4. Back to School

            Link awoke in a cold sweat, his body shaking from the nightmare. Leaning over, he could see that it was, surprisingly, 7 A.M. Falling back on his pillow, he took deep breaths. 'Why is this stuff happening to me?' Dragging himself out of bed, Link walked down the hall to the kitchen. His dad was at work already and his mom was still sleeping, so nothing else was moving. Getting a bowl, milk, spoon, and some cereal, he sat down at the table and ate his breakfast.

            Half an hour later, Link was all ready for school. As he slung his backpack over his shoulder, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Nothing had changed physically as far as he could tell. Other than showing some slight sleep depravation, Link was Link. 'Why do I feel so different?' Letting out a sigh and shaking his head, he closed the door to his house and walked down to the bus stop.

            A group of twenty kids stood at the corner, most of them talking but a few of them were playing hackey. Link looked around and spotted Keith standing on the corner of the road. Link walked over to him. "Hey Keith." "Hm." "What's wrong?" "Nothing. It's just." Keith looked down at the ground. "I don't know. I just feel like I'm missing something." Link instantly thought about the spiritual stone.

            "Did you lose the stone?" Link asked, keeping his voice low. "No, it's in a safe place." Link was relieved by that. "Well then, what are you missing?" "Like I said, I don't know." Link shook his head and looked up at the sky. It was a typical morning, the sun just starting to appear over the hillside. On all normal measures, today was going to be like any other. However, at that time, the measures were anything but normal.

            The bus arrived on time and everyone piled in. Most people took out their books and started doing what was left of their weekend assignments. 'Oh man.' Link's head banged against the seat. 'I got all caught up in this stuff that I forgot about my homework.' Looking back a couple of seats, he could see Keith sitting there with his books wide open. Groaning, Link took out his books and set to work.

            The kids on the bus didn't have much time, only about an hour, to do all of their homework. The bus pulled up next to       the sidewalk outside the door of Hyrule City High. Link and Keith were among the last to get off. Pausing only to put their books in their lockers, they were sitting down in their first period class, history.

            Link's and Keith's desks were right next to each other by pure coincidence because the school assigned its students their seats. The kids were doing the usual. Talking, doing some last minute things, and throwing around paper airplanes. Link was trying to remember what his assignment had been. The door opened and in stepped their teacher Mr. Green. He was in his fifties, quite a bit overweight, and clean-shaven. (A/N: This is the history teacher I had in my last year of JH.)

            Mr. Green sat at his desk, took out a few papers, and looked them over. The whole class sat in silence, no one daring to do more than cough. After a few minutes, he put down the papers. "Alright class. Last week, your assignment was to look up your family's ancestry. It was to be a two page essay, single spaced." A few groans erupted from the class, one of them belonging to Link. 'Oh shit. I'm going to get it today.'

            "Let's do something for a change today. We'll start from the bottom of the alphabet." Frank Zipelli got out of his desk, got to the front of the room, and started from the top. Time passed and the line of kids decreased slowly. In the middle of the fourth person's oration, the door opened and someone stepped in. Without even looking up from his notebook, Mr. Green addressed the person. "Ms. King, you are late." "I'm sorry Mr. Green. I haven't been sleeping well."

            "That may be, but you are still supposed to be here at eight o' clock sharp. Since this is your first day in my class, I'll let it slide this time only. Now take your seat." "Thank you." Zelda walked over to her seat in the second row. "Class, I'm sure you all have heard of Ms. King. The fact that she comes from a rich family means nothing to me, as it WILL for you. She will be in our class for the rest of the year, so I expect that you will treat her the same way as you like yourself to be treated."

            While Mr. Green was making his little speech, Link leaned a little to Keith. "Man, she looks wiped out." "Yeah, I know." He replied, leaning to his left. "Do you think she's having that weird dream as well?" "Maybe, but she could just be nervous." Mr. Green noticed the two boys whispering. "Do have something to add to this gentlemen?" Shooting straight up in their desks, Link and Keith replied. "No Mr. Green." "No sir."

            The class ended forty-five minutes later. Surprising to them, Link and Keith weren't the only ones to have not done their assignment. "Mr. Kokirin, Mr. Subron, and Ms. King, I would like to speak with the three of you." Mr. Green said as the class ended. After everyone had left, he went over and closed the door. The three teenagers stood in silence, each one knowing that they were in some serious trouble.

            "Now, can each of you tell me exactly why the homework I gave wasn't important enough to do? You two boys had a whole week to research on your family's past. Ms. King, you had five days, still plenty of time." The room was silent until Keith spoke up. "Sir, I've got no excuses. I just plain didn't do it. While I can't speak for Link, I'm sure Zelda was just too busy to do hers. What, with being rich and all. Plus the fact that she just moved here."

            Link couldn't believe his ears. 'Keith can talk his way out of most things and he usually does.' What puzzled him even more is that he was almost trying to protect Zelda. Mr. Green let out an audible breath. "It seems that you are finally maturing Mr. Subron, as you are taking full responsibility for your actions. I think that we can let Ms. King answer for herself however." He turned to Zelda and waited for her response.

            Zelda's mouth hung open for a moment before she pulled herself together. "He's right Mr. Green. I've had to spend a lot of my time unpacking in our new house." He nodded to that. "A satisfactory response. Mr. Kokirin?" Link felt that he was backed into a corner. 'Thanks a lot Keith. Now I have to be honest too.' "I'm waiting." Casting a quick look to Keith, Link answered. "I just forgot about it. My weekend was busy."

            Mr. Green got up and paced back and forth a few times. "I have an idea. I want the THREE of you to work on a report concerning our country's past. As this will take some time, I'm willing to give you another week for the research. I expect the project to be on my desk when I come in next Monday morning. Is that understood?" Link, Keith, and Zelda immediately nodded. "Good. You're now dismissed." The three of them quickly gathered their books and left.

            "What's with you? Never in a million years did I expect you to something like that." Link nearly yelled to Keith. It was lunchtime now and they were sitting at the table eating. Keith took a bite out of his sandwich as he responded. "I don't know. I just suddenly blurted it out. I don't know what came over me." Link shook his head and took a sip of his milk.

            After they had finished, Link and Keith dumped their bags in a trashcan and went outside. The yard was noisy enough that a person could talk about anything without fear of anyone eavesdropping. "So Keith, any idea where we can find the other two stones?" "Maybe. In the past, most of Hyrule concentrated near the capitol because that is where the castle was. If the drawbridge was pulled up, then an invading army would've had one hell of a time trying to get in."

            They started walking with Keith in the lead. "I'm listening." "Back then, three races made up most of the kingdom. Hylians, Zoras, and Gorons. The Kokiri were always there, but they weren't a part of it. Now what I'm about to say is just and educated guess." At that moment, Keith bumped into someone. "Sor-" He looked up to see Zelda's face. Link saw that the both of them were stunned.

            "Are you following me around or something?" Zelda asked. "No way. This was an accident" Giving Keith and Link a suspicious look, Zelda left. "Weird." Keith said. "What's weird?" "This is the third time this morning I've literally bumped into her." "Are you following her?" "No, it's always by accident." Keith shook his head and continued walking.

            "Anyways, you were saying?" "Now my guess is that the Hylians guarded the Master Sword, while the other three races guarded the stones." Link shook his head in agreement. "That makes sense, so what do we do?" "Well, we've already got the Kokiri's stone, and they haven't moved from the woods." "Why do you say that?" "The Great Deku Tree is their guardian and I highly doubt a tree could move."

            "So, where do we find the other two stones?" "We look at wherever the Gorons and the Zoras were at that time period." Link brought Keith to a stop. "One problem. Although Hyrule wasn't as big as it is now, it was still huge. The Gorons and Zoras were nearly everywhere." "Well, it has to be somewhere near the capitol. If the Master Sword was ever needed, the stones had to be brought together quickly." Link let out a sigh. "Well at least we won't have to travel far, but we can't look during the week. We'll have to wait until Saturday."

            The next few days passed rather quickly, school occupying most of Link's and Keith's time. However, each of them noticed some changes about themselves. Link began to show greater strength and endurance in PE while Keith became very honest and straightforward about anything. He also found himself scaring the hell about of people. They always said that they couldn't hear him walking up to them.

            Keith took advantage of his constant run ins with Zelda to set up a time when they would get to work on their project. Since Zelda's family was one of Hyrule's oldest, their private library was only rivaled by the Library of Congress. After clearing it with their parents, Link and Keith took the bus to Kakiriko Heights after school on Thursday. Link had to somewhat drag Keith to Zelda's mansion.

            They were greeted by one of the butlers and led up to the library. Link and Keith stared in awe as they saw various works of art, some of them hundreds of years old. The butler let them in and closed the door behind them. The room was huge, as big as their own houses put together. With the exception of the oak table in its middle, the entire room was covered with bookshelves. Even the walls were covered in books. The room was lit by several chandelier style lights.

            "WOW." The two boys were awe-struck at the sight. "Thanks. It took a hundred people two weeks to do this room alone." Zelda was sitting at the table, a few books already piled up in front of her. Link and Keith walked up and sat down. "So, uh, where do we start?" Zelda motioned to the books in front of them. "I spent all of yesterday afternoon to find the right books. Pick one and start looking."

            Link and Keith each picked up a book and started looking through it. After about half an hour, Keith put down his book. "Not to be rude, but do you have anything that dates back a few hundred years?" Zelda was at first startled by the question, and then a little uneasy. "Well, yes we do. But we can't look at it?" "Why not?" Link added, barging in on the conversation. "You see, it's written in ancient Hylian, and none of the translators consider it important enough to translate."

            "That's not a problem-" "LINK!" He ignored Keith. "because Keith can read it." Zelda was stunned at that. "You can?!?" Giving Link a dirty look, Keith answered. "Yeah, I can. I have no idea how, I just can." Zelda beamed. "That's great! I'll go get it." She took off down the aisles of bookcases. "Thanks a lot Link. You know that's supposed to be a secret between you and me." All he did was laugh. "That was payback for Monday."

            Zelda came running back, holding a large, old leather book in her hands. "Got it!" Putting it down on the center of the table, she blew off a layer of dust. Keith leaned over and examined it. "Well, what does it say?" Zelda asked, visibly excited. Running his finger under the letters, Keith translated the title. "Great Wars During the Reign of the Royal Family" Zelda smiled. "This is great! This book can help us on our report AND we didn't have to pay any stuck-ups a hundred thousand."

            Keith began reading the introductions to each of the various wars. Eventually, he came to the most important one. "The War of Imprisonment" He read. "Hyrule had just recovered from a bloody civil war as opposing factions vied for control of the crown. King Harakian II sat on his rightful throne and the people looked to the future with hope. A princess had been born, securing the line of the royal family. The Gorons and the Zoras swore allegiance to the royal family.

            "Then out of the Gerudo controlled deserts to the west, he came. He was the King of the Gerudos, the King of Thieves. His name was Ganondorf, and he came to swear loyalty to the King." Link and Keith exchanged glances. "It was merely a ruse however, as he was after a specific object. The sacred Triforce which the goddesses left when they created Hyrule. He caused various disasters to those that held the sacred stones which opened the way to the Sacred Realm.

            "The princess of Hyrule had a dream in which a light came from the forest and dispelled dark clouds that covered all of Hyrule. She believed that Ganondorf represented the dark clouds and that the light from the forest meant that the one who would defeat him would come from the forest. Just as she had predicted, a young boy came from the forest and collected the sacred stones.

            "However just as the boy returned to report to the princess, Ganondorf waited no longer and showed his true colors. The princess was carried away by her guardian and Ganondorf followed in hot pursuit. The young hero went to the Temple of Time and retrieved the Master Sword. Ganondorf had been waiting in the shadows however and entered the Sacred Realm, retrieving the Triforce.

            "The hero's body and spirit were locked away in the Sacred Realm until he was finally old enough to rightfully bear the title, 'Hero of Time'. He awoke seven years later in the Chamber of Sages. The hero then embarked on his quest to defeat Ganondorf, who had become the King of Evil during those seven long years. After many hardships and trials, the hero defeated Ganondorf and restored peace to Hyrule."

            The room was silent as Keith finished the introduction. "Wow, that Ganondorf was a real son of a bitch." Link and Keith looked in amazement at Zelda. "What? Just because I'm rich, doesn't mean that I don't my share of foul language." "Zelda, how did you get this book?" Keith asked. "Well, it just so happens that I am part of the royal blood line of Hyrule." She said with an air of pride.

            "After my family relinquished the throne to Congress, we remained a wealthy family as you can see." The butler then chose that moment to step into the room. "Ms. King, your father as just received a letter from the school. You aren't in any trouble now, are you?" Before Zelda could respond, Keith stepped in front of her. "No, she's not in any trouble." Zelda was surprised at what Keith was doing.

            "Madam, are you?" "No, I haven't done anything yet." The butler gave Keith an odd look. 'Strange. His hands are clenched into fist, like he was protecting her.' He nodded and left. Zelda gave Keith a good push from behind. "What was that all about?" "Sorry, I don't know what came over me."

            Zelda simply turned around and looked at the book. "This is was a strange war. It sounds more like a myth or legend." She began turning the pages until she let out a cry. "What? What's wrong?" Keith asked, instantly at her side. "The picture in the book! It looks exactly like the one I've been seeming in my dream!" Link and Keith looked at the book and were stunned. "Ganondorf's Tower" Keith read.

            "Every night since last Friday, I've been having the same nightmare. And it always ends with me hearing a man laughing in that tower." Zelda said, still in a little bit of a shock. "Zelda, I've got a news flash for you. You're not the only one who's been having the same nightmare since Friday." Link said. "Keith and I have been having the same nightmare that you're having."

            "It's true." Keith added. "Link and I went looking around the old castle that afternoon. And let's just say some weird things happened." Zelda looked at them with astonishment. "Over the weekend, we went on a bit of a wild adventure and found some really weird stuff." Link said. "For instance, on Sunday we found a talking tree and a village full of kids." "You've got to kidding!"

            Link shook his head. "I wish we were." "Prove it." Zelda said, still not believing them. "Alright, I will." Keith reached into his coat pocket it and pulled out the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. "Keith! I thought you said you had it in a safe place!" He simply shrugged. "I couldn't think of a safer place than with me." Zelda however, was mesmerized by the stone. "It's so beautiful. And you said you got this from a talking tree?"

            They shook their heads. "So, what are you going to do with it?" Zelda asked. "We were going to complete the collection this weekend. After that, I don't know." Link answered. "We only know that the other two stones are somewhere in Hyrule City." Zelda got up, went over, and closed the book. "Well, why don't we finish this at school tomorrow?" Link and Keith looked at each other. "Sure, why not?"

            The next day Link was woken up at six by someone throwing things at his window. Moving aside his curtain, Link looked down and saw Keith standing on his lawn, motioning for him to get out. He shook his head and tapped his watched, signaling the time. Keith jerked his thumb behind him. Moving the curtain even more, Link became fully awake when he saw what was parked in the road.

            A stretch limo with Zelda standing at the door, smiling and waving to him. In a flash, Link was ready to go and sitting in the limo. "I thought we might get a head start on our assignment. Plus, I wanted to hear more about these stones, so I brought the book." Link turned to his friend who was sitting right next to him. "Did you know anything about this?" Keith shook his head. "Not a clue."

            Handing him the book, Zelda listened as Keith read the section about the stones. "It says here that the other two stones were kept in the Zoras and the Gorons capitals as well. What was the capitals back then, is probably the water treatment plant at the mouth of the river and the mines up on Death Mountain." "Great. Now we have a place to look this weekend." Link said.

            The three kids finished their assignment and put it into Mr. Green's mailbox in the front office. On Saturday morning, as Link and Keith were getting their mopeds ready, they heard another moped coming closer in the distance. Barreling down the road, the rider pulled to a stop right in front of Link's house, pelting the boys with gravel.

            "When are you two gonna be ready?" Zelda asked as she pulled her helmet off. Link's and Keith's mouth's hit the ground. "What? Just because I'm rich, doesn't mean that I'm all high class. The reason why I'm in the public school now is because I got thrown out of all the others due to my behavior. I can't stand all those snobs, acting like their better than everyone else."

            Link and Keith looked at each other and without even saying a word, they finished up and headed out.


	5. The Quest Continues

            Link, Keith, and Zelda sped over the plain of Hyrule Field. On the way to the water treatment plant, Link asked a very important question (at least in his mind) to Keith. "Why do we have to take her along?" "We can't exactly tell her to go home after she came all this way." "I know, but she'll just get in the way." Keith didn't have a reply to that. The rest of the ride continued in silence.

            Around one, the three teens reached the plant. After parking their mopeds behind some bushes, they walked inside. The Zora secretary was a little surprised to find them walk in on a weekend, as most kids only went there on field trips. "May I help you?" He asked. "Yeah, do you have any important looking stones around here?" Link said. "Nope, the only stones we have here are ones that are on display for geological purposes." "Thanks anyways."

            Outside, Zelda turned to Link. "Well, what do we do now?" He shrugged. "I don't know. Do you have an idea Keith?" Keith was silent for a moment as he tried to think of something. "I got an idea. How about we take the tour and slip away when no one's looking?" Link and Zelda shook their heads in agreement. "Sure, then we can look around for ourselves."

            The tour was extremely boring, as all the guide did was drone on and one about the cleansing process. While they were looking at the filters, the trio took that moment to sneak away. "Man, I never want to do THAT again." Link said as they walked away. Zelda agreed. "Yeah, that guy has no people skills." They followed the metal walkways upstream, eventually reaching a waterfall.

            "Great, a dead end." Zelda commented as they looked all around. 'The stone HAS to be here somewhere. This is the only place it can be.' Keith thought as he looked around. 'Hello, what's this?' He had spotted a stone imbedded in the ground. Kneeling down, he could see that it was written in ancient Hylian. After examining it for a few seconds, Keith stood up. "Link, play the song of the royal family." Link turned his head in confusion. "Why?" Keith pointed to the inscription on the floor. "That says to."

            Link glanced down at the writing. "Okay, if you say so." He opened up the knapsack that had his ocarina as well as the Kokiri's stone and took out the ocarina. Putting the mouthpiece to his lips, he played the song. The rumbling of the falls stopped to become just a light trickle of water. "Look, a hidden cave!" Zelda pointed out. "Jump over before the waterfall starts up again." Link jumped over, followed closely by Zelda and Keith. Almost as soon as they were all inside, the water fall started up again.

            "Wheewwww." Keith whistled. "This cave is deep." Link rolled his eyes. "Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I only wish we brought our maglites." The trio started walking deeper into the darkness, their hands against the wall their only guide. After walking for about five minutes, Keith and Zelda were suddenly thrown back. "What the hell?" Zelda exclaimed, as she got back up. Walking forward, she was once again repelled. "Hey, what's the hold up?" Link asked, at least three feet ahead of them.

            "I don't know, something's blocking our way." Zelda replied. "What? That's crazy." "It's true. Keith and I can't go on." Link was extremely confused by this. "Look, maybe only you're meant to go on Link. Zelda and I will wait here for you here." "Well, okay. If you say so." Link left his two friends behind as he ventured even deeper into the cave. 'Great. Now am I practically blind, but now I'm all alone.' He thought sarcastically.

            After a few minutes, Link heard a voice. "Do not deviate from the path, no matter what." It said. Link was a little skeptic, but decided to follow its advice. Eventually, he came upon a fork in the road. One way continued forward, the other went to his left. 'Well, the voice said "go forward.' Just then, Link heard someone scream from his left. He immediately wanted to help, but remembered the voice. After a few moments of indecision, he reached a choice. "Fuck it."

            Link took off to his left, sneakers pounding the ground beneath him. The screams were getting louder as he drew nearer. Eventually, his way started to get lighter. 'Figures. There's another way in.' The light was getting much brighter as he rounded a corner. Up a flight of stairs was the source of the light, as well as the screams. "Hang on! I'm coming!" Link shouted out.

            Running up the stairs, he looked around quickly. To his right he found a female Zora sitting in the corner, a monster leaning over, ready to kill her. With a cry, Link ran over and tackled the creature. It was stunned only for a second and quickly grabbed hold of him. Link and the monster wrestled on the ground, each one trying to get the advantage of being on top. Link's teeth were bared, as was the monsters, its teeth glistening in the light from its saliva.

            An idea coming to his head, Link suddenly pushed the monster off of him. He quickly got on his feet, as did the monster. Faster and stronger then even he thought possible, Link did a roundhouse kick to creature's chest, his foot connecting solidly. The creature fell to the ground and disappeared. Just like that, it was all over.

            Link stood there, his breathing heavy. After a few seconds he looked up from were the monster had evaporated. "Are you okay?" He asked to the Zora. She simply smiled, and then vanished. Link spun around, trying to find out where she had gone. 'Talk about ingratitude.' Shaking his head, he was about to leave when his foot hit something. Looking down, he felt his heart skip a beat.

            Lying on the ground was a sparkling blue sapphire. Link reached down and quickly grabbed it. It was flawless in his eyes, just like the Kokiri's emerald. Running his hand over it, he unzipped his knapsack and placed it inside. Smiling, Link was about to leave when he remembered the Zora. "Thank you, whoever you are." Jogging down the stairs, he started to make his way back to the entrance.

            Zelda and Keith were sitting on the floor, waiting for Link to come back. 'How much longer his he going to take?' Keith thought. 'I really hope he's not lost.' Was what Zelda was thinking. A few seconds later, they heard Link's footsteps come from within the cave. "Well, did you find it?" Keith asked as he got up. "Yep, I got it!" Link replied with pride in his voice. "Great! Now let's get out of here."

            The kids made their way back to the entrance of the cave. Standing by the entrance, they realized that they had a very big problem. "Uh, how do we get back over?" Zelda asked as she looked at the waterfall. "I can't stop it from this side, so I guess we'll have to jump." Keith was the first one over, followed quickly by Link. When Zelda jumped however, her feet slipped and she started to fall.

            "AAHHHH!" Link was instantly on his belly, his outstretched hands gripping Zelda's left hand. "Hang on Zel, I'll pull you up!" Frightened, Zelda reached up with her right hand and gripped Link's hands. Link grunted as he steadily pulled her up onto the ground. A few moments later, Zelda was safely standing on the ground. "Are you okay Zelda?" Link asked. "Yes, thank you Link." Zelda said, rewarding him with a quick peck on the cheek.

            Link was at first stunned, and then he felt his face blush slightly. Zelda giggled and started walking away. Link saw Keith grinning widely at him. "What?" Link asked. Keith shook his head and started catching up to Zelda. Link stared into space for another second before following. The three teens managed to make it back to their mopeds without being spotted.

            At three, they pulled onto the road leading up to the Death Mountain Mines. Keith pulled his moped over and stopped. Taking off his helmet, he looked over all of Kakariko Heights. Link and Zelda then stopped, with Link being the only one outside of Keith's family to know why. "Hey man, it wasn't your fault. You were too young to even remember it." Keith sighed. "I know, I know."  He put his helmet back on and off they went.

            Death Mountain Mines supplied Hyrule with one-sixth of its resources. Being mined were various materials, iron, copper, rupees, and the like. Despite having many other opportunities, the Gorons were still the primary miners. The shift supervisor was a Goron, and he was currently working on the new tunnel blasting plans that were due tomorrow. The last thing he expected to see is three teens drive up on mopeds.

            Link, Keith, and Zelda dismounted their bikes and took their helmets off. "Do you kids have the proper authorization to be up here?" The shift supervisor asked. "No." Link replied. The Goron was a little stunned. "I've never seen a bunch of kids admit that they don't have permission to be here." Link shrugged. "We just want to ask a few questions, that's all." The shift supervisor saw no harm in that.

            "Okay, go ahead." "I'm curious, wasn't the Gorons ancient capital on this mountain?" The shift supervisor nodded. "Yep, that's correct. Unfortunately it's no longer accessible." Link looked puzzled. "Why not?" "You see, about a hundred years ago, during the last eruption of Death Mountain, the main entrance to the city caved in and we've been unable to reopen it." "Isn't there another way in?" "Yeah, through the pit. If you follow the rim, you'll eventually come across a hidden entrance, but no one's ever gone in that way."

            Link shook his head. "Will that be all?" The Goron asked. "Yeah, thanks." Link said, right before bolting to the crater entrance in front of him. The Goron quickly turned around. "Are you crazy?!? The heat's so intense that you'll be dead in five minutes!" Link ignored him however, and continued into the mountain. The Goron shook his head and turned to Keith and Zelda. "You know, your friend is not going to come out of there alive." Keith told him that Link would be alright. Zelda, however, was worried.

            Link threw his hands in front of his face in a futile attempt to protect it from the intense heat. 'This is nuts! What on earth was I thinking?' He looked around for a way down to the hidden entrance that the shift supervisor spoke of. Jogging, he kept his eyes on the ground I front of him so he wouldn't look at the boiling pit of magma. Link felt himself starting to get weaker from the intense heat. Wiping sweat from his brow, he continued onward.

            Half near death, Link's eye's somehow spotted a cave to his left. His mind operating on instinct alone, thought of any kind having left his it long ago, he started jogging to the cave. 'Come… on… almost… there…' Exhausted, he stumbled into the cave, cool air brushing his face. After the pit was out of sight, Link collapsed against the nearest wall. He couldn't see any source of light, but right now that didn't matter. He just rested.

            After a few minutes, Link opened his eyes and looked around. 'Great, not darkness again.' Getting up, he once again used his hands as guidance. As soon as he walked through the nearest door however, his eyes were met with a strong red light. "What the…?" Looking up, Link saw that the source of the light was coming from a platform above him. Looking around, he spotted what looked like a passageway leading up. Casting a quick look back towards the light, he ran to the passage.

            After a few minutes, Link reached the top floor of the ancient capital. Then was when he spotted the source of the light. Set in a stone piece suspended by ropes, was a shining ruby which could only be the Spiritual Stone of Fire. He smiled and started walking to it. Looking down the pit in the center of the room, Link took a deep breath and carefully walked across the ropes. "Whoa!" After a few close calls, he reached the center. 'This reminds me of Indiana Jones.' Rubbing his hands together, he reached down and grabbed the stone.

            Holding it carefully in his hands, Link was ready for any sign of a bobby trap. Nothing happened however, the room as silent as can be. Grinning, he made his way back to solid ground, using the stone as a flashlight of sorts. When he reached the bottom floor again, Link put the stone in his knapsack and made for the crater. Outside, Keith was starting to get a little concerned. Zelda however, was extremely worried.

            Watching her pace back and forth, Keith laughed. "Come one Zelda, Link's fine." "I don't think so. He's been gone almost half an hour." Keith laughed again. "Zelda, you're acting like a worried mother. You don't have feelings for Link, do you?" Zelda stopped in her tracks immediately. "No, I'm just worried as a friend. That's all." Keith was positive that there was more that however.

            A minute later, Link stumbled out of the entrance. The shift supervisor was the first one next to him. "Jeez kid! You're a lot tougher than I thought!" Link smiled. "I got to the back door of the ancient capital. It's still all there." He got himself free of the Gorons grasp and made his way to Keith and Zelda. "I got it!" Link said, patting his knapsack. Keith was relieved that his best friend was alright. Zelda expressed her concern in a more physical way.

            She ran up and hugged him. "You're safe! I was getting so worried." Link was stunned at Zelda's sudden show of emotion. "Of course I'm fine! A little heat can't stop me." Zelda let go and immediately went to her moped. "Listen, it's getting late. How about you both spend the night at my place?" Link and Keith didn't even have to think on that one. "Hell yeah!" Jumping on their bikes, Link, Zelda, and Keith sped off down the mountain to Kakariko.

            That night, after a dinner that could feed ten people with plenty of leftovers, the three kids were each in a private room. Lying in their beds, Link and Zelda found themselves wondering what life would be like if they were married to each other. With that thought in mind, both of them drifted off to sleep with a smile on their faces. Keith however, was unable to sleep. He stood at his bedroom window looking over all of Kakariko. Zelda's butler, noticing that his light was on, opened the door. "Is everything all right sir?" "Yeah, everything's fine. I just can't sleep. Thanks anyways." "You're welcome sir."

            Keith spent a long time just looking out that window. 'I could've had so much.' Sighing, he turned off his light and went to sleep. Link, Zelda, and Keith had the dream again, as always. After eating a large breakfast of pancakes, sausages, eggs, hash browns, and waffles, the trio was on their bikes and at the Temple of Time at eight o' clock.

            "Today, we find out what's behind that door. Keith, if you would." Link said. Keith nodded and picked the lock. After a few seconds, he gave the all clear and they went in. This time however, a passing person, who just happened to work there, noticed them. 'Hmmmm. What are those kids up to?' The old man wondered. Looking around, he quietly followed them.

            Link, Keith and Zelda opened the back room door and saw the altar. "Last chance everyone. Do we go through with this?" Keith asked as they stood before the altar. They nodded. "Let's do it." Link walked over, unzipped his knapsack, and placed the stones in the appropriate slot. Taking out the Ocarina of Time, Link put it to his lips and played the Song of Time. The song once again echoed throughout the room.

            When he had finished, Link looked to see what would happen. A bright light came from the symbol of Triforce engraved over the door. They watched as the pale gray stone turned a bright golden color. Grinding was then heard as the two massive stone slabs slid into the wall, revealing a path forward. "YYYEEEEESSSSSSS!" A collective cheer of triumph came from the group as they saw the fruits of their labor.

            "We did it Link! We really did it!" Keith said to his best friend. "I know! I know! I can hardly believe it!" Link laughed in return. Keith climbed over the altar and ran through the opened Door of Time, Link following quickly. Running, the path blackened only for a moment. As he looked upon the room beyond, Keith came to a sudden halt. "No…" Link stopped next to him as he saw the same thing. "It can't be…"

_Oooohhhh. A cliffhanger! What do they see? Find that out in the next chapter._


	6. The Master Sword

            Keith stepped forward. "The Master Sword, it's-" Link finished for him. "-broken." And indeed it was. The blade of the Master Sword was still set in the Pedestal of Time, gleaming brightly as ever. But the hilt of the sword was gone, snapped from it. Hearing the two boys, Zelda came rushing in. "What's wrong?" Disgusted, Link simply pointed at the sword. Keith started laughing. "This," He said, "is what I call a 'Night of the Living Dead' moment."

            Link and Zelda stared at him. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Still chuckling, Keith answered. "In 'Night of the Living Dead', there's that one poor black guy who survived the entire zombie assault, just to get shot right between the eyes in the end." "Oh yeah. Now it makes sense." Link said, still looking at the Master Sword.

            "So, what do we do now?" Zelda inquired. "I'll go and get. It'll be a souvenir of this little adventure." Keith promptly walked up to and grabbed it, only to be thrown into the wall. "Keith!" Zelda called out, running to his side. "Ow." Was all he was able to say. Kneeling down, Zelda looked over him. "Are you alright? You just went flying twenty feet into the wall." Keith gave her an incredulous look. "No shit Sherlock!"

            Picking himself off of the ground, he gestured to the sword. "The damn thing's protected by some sort of magical barrier; just like in that hidden cave yesterday." Link stared at the Master Sword, unknowingly reciting the chanting in his altered dream. "The time is now; the destiny is yours; go forth and take it." "Huh?" Keith and Zelda said in unison. Link simply nodded. "I understand now."

            While Keith and Zelda just stared, Link walked up to the Pedestal of Time and gripped the Master Sword with his left hand. Keith expected Link to go flying just like he did, but he didn't. Link pulled the sword out and held it up in the air. The sunlight coming through the window above caught the Master Sword, reflecting it all around. Link brought his arm down and stared at his prize. 'I'm sure I can get it fixed.'

            Just then, the old man who worked in the temple walked through the Doors of Time. "Incredible! The chamber actually DOES exist!" He then saw Link standing in the middle of the room, holding the sword. "The Master Sword exists as well! This is a great day! You kids will get in a lot of trouble for breaking into a government building, but, oh, what a find this is!"

            The whole temple began to shake, and the sunlight was blocked. "Wha, what's going on?" Zelda asked, visibly frightened. *CCRRAASSHHH* The window shattered as a large object came through. It landed on the floor with such force that it left an indentation in the marble floor. The black object quickly took the shape of a man. "Heh heh heh. How ironic. The descendents of the same ones who first imprisoned me in that accursed place are the same ones to have released me."

            "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The poor old guy let out a scream of terror as he saw the figure before him draw up to his full height. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" He quickly turned around and ran. Ganondorf turned around and faced the three teenagers. "And as show of gratitude," He said as he waved his hand in the air, "you shall be blessed with eternal sleep!" Keith was the first one to drop to the ground, quickly followed by Zelda. Link however, was fighting it. He raised the broken sword above him. "No… Ganondorf…" He at last succumbed, the Master Sword clattering to the floor.

            A smug grin covered Ganondorf's face as he watched the three teenagers slip away. 'Now no one can threaten me.' Floating a foot off of the ground, he looked in around in a sort of wonder as he was leaving the building. 'The world has indeed changed much ever since I was imprisoned. Weapons have most certainly been improved. But no weapon can come even close to the Triforce of Power.' Just as he was about to leave the building, Ganondorf heard something move to his right.

            Looking, he saw to old man hiding underneath a desk. "Come to me!" He didn't even wait for the man to consider a response. Ganondorf formed a force bubble around him and drew him out of his hiding place. "NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" The old man struggled in futility to get away. Ganondorf brought him right to his face. "No… Please don't kill me." He stuttered. Ganondorf laughed before hitting the man with a different spell.

            "AHHHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHH!" The old man screamed out in a mix of pain and horror as he felt his body changing. His screams changed to moans in a few short seconds as he became a Redead. Ganondorf's grin returned as he let him drop to the ground. 'He is just the first.' He turned around at floated out of the building. As he crossed the threshold, Ganondorf's eyes beheld the new Hyrule for the first time.

            He raised his right hand and summoned forth a ball of fire. Not even caring enough to chose a target, Ganondorf hurled the fireball at a nearby building. The fireball exploded on contact, the building engulfed in a raging inferno. 'Excellent.' He thought. 'Still just as flammable.'

            Officer Dick Whitmore saw Ganondorf blow up the building. Bringing his squad car to a screeching halt, he reached for his radio's microphone and keyed it. "This is Officer Whitmore, come in dispatch over." "Whitmore this dispatch, proceed over." "This is gonna sound crazy, but I've got a suspect who's floating about one foot off the ground and he just set a nearby building on fire with his bare hands. Suspect is approximately forty years of age, bright red hair, and a Middle Eastern complexion, over."

            "Confirm last statement, approximately forty years old, bright red hair, Middle Eastern complexion over." Ganondorf formed another ball of fire and threw it at a passing car. It was incinerated by the blast of heat. "Roger dispatch, transmission confirmed. Get some other guys down here ASAP! Suspect just incinerated a passing motorist! I am proceeding with extreme caution. Location is just outside of the hall of records. Over and out."

            Dropping his mic, Dick drew his sidearm, a Beretta M92FS. Getting out of his car, he yelled out a warning to Ganondorf. "HPD! FREEZE! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST! PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD AND LIE FACE DOWN ON THE GROUND!"

            Ganondorf looked at Dick with an amused look on his face. 'He must one of this day's equivalent to a guard.' Sneering, he charged up another fireball and tossed it at Dick. He ducked and looked behind him as the fireball crashed into another nearby building. Cocking the hammer on his pistol, Dick aimed at Ganondorf's chest and fired. *POW POW POW* The bullets hit their mark and slammed into his flesh. Ganondorf, more annoyed than hurt, charged a lighting ball in his hand and released the charge.

            The lightning hit Dick and his car. Dick was instantly killed and his car blew up, flipping onto its roof. Ganondorf heard the approaching sirens of more police vehicles. The squad cars came to a halt and its passengers disembarked. A SWAT van stopped right behind them and six SWAT members came out, automatics in their hands. The officer in charge took out a loudspeaker and keyed it.

            "This is the Hyrule City Police Department. We have you cornered. Put your hands above your head and lie face down on the ground!" Ganondorf complied with the first part of the message. Putting his hands above his head, he charged up a fireball and threw it at the policemen. "GET DOWN!" The officers standing behind the squad cars leaped away, but were caught in the explosion. "OPEN FIRE!"

            The surviving SWAT members fired their weapons on full auto. *DATDATDATDATDATDATDAT* Ganondorf grunted in annoyance as the bullets hit him. 'I have had enough of this!' Bringing his hands above him one final time, he formed a firewave and threw it at the SWAT members. The pyrotechnics were magnificent, the van thrown up into the air and back three blocks.

            Ganondorf looked at the fires that raged around him. 'Just as I thought. Even in this time they can not harm me.' He turned around and saw the Redead the he had created stumble out of the Temple of Time. Floating over, he created a force bubble around it and brought it up into the air. "I have a need of you, my servant. I shall extract from your mind all that you know. It shall help me a great deal on my coming victory." Ganondorf then floated towards the old castle, ready to reclaim his mantle of power.

            "Wake up… Wake up… Wake up Zelda, Princess of Destiny; Wake up Keith, last of the Sheikah; Wake up Link, Hero of Time." At the mentioning of their name, each of the three teenagers opened their eyes. "Uhhhhhh… What happened?" Link said as he leaned on his elbow for support. Lying in front of him were Keith and Zelda, both shaking the haze from their minds.

            "Hey, are you two okay?" He asked. "I'm fine, how about you Keith?" "Ug, still in one piece." Sitting up, Link noticed their surroundings. "Hey, where the hell are we?" Zelda looked around as well. They were in a room surrounded by glowing pillars, each with a different symbol on them. "Link, what is that on you?" Keith pointed out a leather strap that was around his friend. "Huh?" Link looked down at noticed it for the first time.

            "What the-?" He turned his head around trying to see what it was holding on his back. "What is that?!?" He said, catching sight of something on his back. "It's a scabbard. You know, for holding swords." Keith explained. "Hey, what happened to the Master Sword?" He added. "The Master Sword is that scabbard." A voice said. Instantly, the trio was on their feet and looking around.

            "Who's there?" Link called out. Six balls of differently colored light appeared on each of the platforms. They dispersed and in their place were six people of different races. Link immediately recognized the Zora standing in front of him. "Hey, you're that Zora I saved the other day!" She nodded and replied, "Yes, that was me. My name is Ruto, Sage of Water. I wasn't in any real danger however. It was just a test to see if you were worthy of the Spiritual Stone of Water. You passed remarkably."

            Link smiled. "Thanks. Could you tell me who the rest of these people are and where the hell we are." Each in turn introduced themselves. When it was all over, Rarau answered Link's other question. "This is the Chamber of Sages, in the Temple of Light, located directly in the center of the Dark Realm. Where the three of you now stand was were the sacred Triforce was once kept. Hundreds of years ago, Ganondorf stole the Triforce in an attempt to gain control of the world. He was stopped.

            "However, during the following centuries, the seal we six sages had kept on the door to the Dark Realm decreased in strength. Recently the seal lost its power entirely." "Then how was Ganondorf contained in that world?" Link asked. "The power of the Master Sword kept the door closed. When you removed the sword, you removed the barrier, allowing Ganondorf to gain his long desired freedom. That sacred sword, which only one worthy of the title of 'Hero of Time' can bear, is the only weapon which can defeat him."

            Link gave an amused snort. "Great. Now am I not only responsible for releasing this guy, the thing which can kill him is broke. You guys wouldn't happen to know where the missing piece is, would you?" Rarau shook his head gravely. "I'm afraid not Link. The hilt of the Master Sword is somewhere within what is now known as Hyrule City." "Well at least it's somewhere nearby."

            During Link's conversation, Zelda stayed close to him listening closely. Keith however, was preoccupied with another matter. When the sages had introduced themselves, he kept his eyes on one sage in particular, who also kept her eyes on him. Keith wanted to talk to her, but was a little scared of walking on what seemed like nothing but water. "It's alright. You will not fall." Impa said, almost as if she was reading his mind.

            Still with doubt, Keith cautiously stepped off the platform. When he felt his foot connect solidly with the energy, he walked over to Impa. He stood equal in height with her, eyes connecting with eyes. "Tell me Keith, why is your hair the color of silver? Some people in this time like to dye their hair a different color." Keith shook his head. "No, my hair's not dyed. I was born like that. It's part of that reason that I have difficulty fitting in with other people."

            Impa smiled and nodded. [We communicate now only in a way that we can do.] She said in Keith's mind. He was taken back by this sudden event, but somehow knew that he could do it as well. {We? Who- What are we?} Keith asked. [We are the Sheikah, guardians of the royal family. Tell me, where do you live?] {Lake Hylia suburbs.} Impa was puzzled by this. [Why don't you live in Kakariko?] {I don't really like to talk about that.} [Please, tell me.]

            Keith looked down as he told his hidden past to Impa. {My Dad's family is from the Kakariko district. They were rich for a long time. My Mom and Dad met at the nearby collage. I was born in the local hospital two years later. Then it happened. Although my Dad's family was rich, they encouraged him to have a job anyways in case if the money was taken away for some reason.

            {The company my Dad worked for went bankrupt and the employees were left with the tab. Just about all of it my Dad paid. They didn't have enough money to live in Kakariko Heights anymore, and in order to stay in the local area, they moved to where we currently live now. But I don't remember any of this. I was only six months old at the time. We make enough to get by, plus a little extra. My mom also has to work though.}

            Keith and Impa were silent after Keith's revelation. [Keith, you are a Sheikah like myself. Although the royal family is no longer ruling, the binds of loyalty still remain.] {That's why I was being so protective of Zelda! But it doesn't make a lot of sense.} Impa smiled and extended her arm. [Take my hand Keith, and the secrets that are your birthright will finally be revealed to you.]

            Link shook his head as he summed up the task ahead of him. "My parents are going to kill me right after they nearly hug me to death." He turned around to ask Keith of his opinion of this whole situation when he saw him take Impa's hand. A whirlwind surrounded them as knowledge passed from one to the other. "What the hell?" Link was about to run over there when Rarau stopped him. "Wait, do not interfere! This is a matter which even I cannot understand."

            Link watched as the whirlwind continued. After a minute, it died down and they both opened their eyes. "I understand now." Keith said. Impa nodded her head. "I'm ready to go." Keith said, answering Link's question before he could ask it. When Keith turned to him, Link saw a light in his friend's eyes that wasn't there before. They walked over and stood on the symbol of the Triforce. "Link, when you have found the missing piece of the Master Sword, come back to the Temple of Time. You will then be transported back here and we will mend it." Rarau said as they departed.

            When Link, Keith, and Zelda next opened their eyes, they were standing at the Pedestal of Time. The three kids were silent, an inner feeling telling them that something was wrong. They walked out of the temple in silence. As soon as they stepped out side, Link and Zelda let out a gasp. The sight before them was the exact same one that they had been seeing in their dreams. "What the hell happened!?!" Link yelled out. "Ganondorf has taken control of the capital. The army is managing to keep his forces contained, but that's only due to our advanced weapons." Keith answered.

            Link couldn't believe. "How's that possible!? We were out for, what? A few hours?" "Link, we've been under Ganondorf's spell for a week." Link gave his friend a questioning look. "How do know all this? Did Impa tell you?" "In a way." "Keith, tell me! We've been friends forever!" Keith sighed and shook his head. "Link, you can't understand because you're not a sheikah." "A what?" "Impa told me. That's what I am. That's why my hair is silver. And it's also why you'll be on your own."

            Link still stared at his friend, all of a sudden feeling a huge gap grow between them. "What do mean I'll be on my own?" "Link, as a sheikah, it's my job to protect the royal family." "You mean, Zelda?" Keith nodded. "Yes, I'll be taking her away from here and protecting her from Ganondorf." When she heard this, Zelda interrupted. "Keith, I can take care of myself. I don't need you to look after me." "Zelda, I am bound to by blood. I have no other choice. I can protect from things that an army would crumble before. It is for your own safety."

            Sensing that Keith was right, Zelda complied. "Alright, you win. I'll stay with you." Keith and Zelda went towards to where their mopeds still were, oddly enough. "We'll be taking my bike Zelda." "Hey Keith." Link called out. Keith stopped and walked over. "Yes Link?" "Are you sure that you can do this?" The light from Keith's eyes left as the Keith that Link knew took place. "Hey, don't worry man. I'll fry any bastard that tries to touch her."

            Giving his friend a reassuring nod, Keith walked back over to where Zelda was waiting. Right before they left, Link saw Zelda look over at him. Putting their helmets on, Keith and Zelda zoomed off towards the field. Link stood there for a minute, sizing up the situation. 'I'm behind enemy lines, the only weapon I've got is broken, and my friends just took off leaving me all alone.' Link walked over and started up his bike. Reflecting on his last thought, there was only one thing he could say. "I am seriously fucked." With that, he sped off in search of the missing piece.


	7. Behind Enemy Lines

            Link raced across Hyrule Field on his moped. All around he could see nothing but death and destruction. The black storm clouds in the sky seemed ready to burst with rain any second. The ranch in the center of the field loomed in the distance, seeming to defy the world around it. Without knowing why, Link steered his moped into the ranch.

            As he drove up the central road, Link saw that the interior of the ranch was just the same as the rest of the city. 'I wonder if anyone else is still alive.' Bringing his moped to a halt right next to the management building, Link started searching the ranch for any survivors. As he had expected, the motel was completely empty as well as the management building. With only the farm buildings left, Link started to search them.

            Link cautiously opened the barn door and stepped inside. The stalls were empty, as well as the feed bin. 'Well, no one in here.' He was about to leave when he spotted a ladder hidden in a dark, back corner. Link walked over and saw that it led to a hidden hatch in the ceiling. He climbed the ladder and opened the roof hatch.

            "EEYYAAHHHH!!!" Link ducked his head just in time to avoid getting impaled by a pitchfork. He poked his head back in to see the person who had attacked him. "Link? Is… is that you?" "Malon?!? You're still here?" Link climbed into the hayloft and closed the hatch behind him. "I thought I was the only one still alive." Malon explained. "After that man came last week, everyone fled the city." "Why didn't you?"

            "I couldn't leave the horses behind. But that man took them all. It was too late then, I was trapped. I took what I could and climbed up here." Link looked around and saw that all that Malon brought up was a kerosene lamp, some food, water, and a blanket. "Link, how are you still alive?" "It's… a long story. I don't even understand it all. Listen Malon, you stay up here and continue doing what you're doing."

            Link was about to leave when Malon grabbed his arm. "What're you going to do? You should stay here with me. We could keep each other company." Link shook his head. "Sorry Malon, I've gotta go. It sounds like suicide to me, but I'm the one who has to stop Ganondorf. I can't endanger you too." Malon sighed and let go of his arm. "Alright Link, if you say so. Take care of yourself." "Thanks Malon, same to you."

            Link left the barn, climbed back on his moped, and left the ranch. The next place he headed to was south to his home. All around he could see nothing but darkness. As he climbed the hill to his home, Link was met with a terrible sight. The waters of Lake Hylia were have drained, the air heavy with the stench of rotting fish. The condos were all still intact, thankfully, and he drove towards his home.

            To Link's expectation, the door was left unlocked, his parents more concerned with escape. "Mom? Dad? Is anyone here?" He called out, expecting no reply. When his voice was met with nothing but silence, Link climbed the stairs to his room. Opening the door, he saw that nothing had changed every piece of furniture and dirty laundry right where he had left it. As he turned to leave, his eyes caught a note pinned to the back of his door.

            Link tore the note off as he read it. "Link, if you read this note, please stay where you are. When that mysterious man started attacking, the military evacuated everyone from the city. We don't know if you are going to be at the shelter, so we want you to stay home and lock all the doors. And please, stay alive. We don't want to lose you. Love, Mom and Dad."

            Link's eyes started to water as he thought about for the first time what his parents were doing at the time Ganondorf attacked. 'They must've stayed as long as they could, even pleading with the army. They probably asked for a search and rescue team as well. I'm sorry I had to put you through all this.' Link shook the tears out. Dropping the note on his floor, he left his room.

            Right when he was about to leave his house, Link remembered something from years ago. He had been looking around in his basement and found a very large chest. When he had asked his Dad about it, he had said that in the chest was another family treasure, but the key had been lost a long time ago. Link walked down to the basement and started moving boxes. He didn't want to make a mess because if he ever succeeded in playing commando, he'd have to clean it up again.

            After a few minutes, Link found the chest. It was old and made out of wood, but it was still strong and intact. 'Let's see, how am I going to open this thing?' He started tapping his foot as he tried to think of an idea. He finally got one. Removing the sheath, Link dumped the blade of the Master Sword on the ground. He then picked it up, and putting in the crack between the top lid and lock, he pushed down.

            Grunting with exertion, Link pushed down even harder. "Come one, open up!" The box started creaking until it finally sprang open with the sound of breaking wood. The blade flew up into the air and fell back onto a box full of old clothes. Taking a moment to rest, Link put the blade back into the sheath and the sheath back on. Looking into the box, he saw that there was an object inside covered by an old, brown cloth.

            Picking the object up with both of his hands, Link was surprised to feel the weight of a piece of tempered iron. Carefully taking off the cloth, he found another hidden treasure. It was an old shield, the metal painted blood red, and a shimmering mirror, adorned with the moon and stars. "WOW!!! We've got some pretty cool stuff in out family!" Link tested the weight out with his right arm and found it light enough to use with it.

            He fixated the Mirror Shield to the sheath of the Master Sword, and practiced taking it out and putting it back for a few minutes. When he had gotten it down to a quick, fluid movement, Link left his house and rode away from the Lake Hylia Suburbs. As soon as he had gotten back onto the field, he took a moment to check the time. 'Ten seventeen, the day is still young.' He looked all around the city, thinking about where the hilt of the Master Sword could be.

            Link came to the conclusion that the best place to start looking was the mines up on death mountain. 'I'll go up there, find a map, and start searching the tunnels. Hopefully, I'll find it up there.' Revving up his moped, he tore off into the direction of Death Mountain. Link came to a screeching halt when he reached the base of the mountain. Looking up, he could see a ring of red fire encircling the crater. He could feel trembling beneath the ground. "Death Mountain's active again?!? I'm in real deep shit."

            Link left his moped at the now abandoned car garage of someone's home. Mirror Shield in hand, he started to quickly climb the dirt road. He had made his way to the mine entrance when he got the biggest scare of his life. From behind a fallen boulder leapt a red, spider-like creature. Link saw its single eye locked to both of his and could immediately tell that it saw him as prey. Adrenaline flowed through his veins as he circled the creature, he eyes looking for something to use as a weapon.

            'The Master Sword is out. It'd take me a few seconds to get it out, and even then it'd be dangerous for me to use.' Link spotted a large rock a few feet away. He broke the circle and ran for it. The Tektite jumped after Link, determined not to let this prey get away. Link dropped to a squat as he picked up the rock, and shot back up as soon as he had it tightly gripped in his left hand. Putting the Mirror Shield between him and the Tektite, he began to think of a strategy.

            Link immediately decided upon going for the eye. The Tektite, tired of the endless circling, broke its path and jumped at Link. *CLAANGG* The Tektite collided with his shield and was stunned for a moment. He took the opportunity to attack. "EYAH!" Link brought the rock down hard on the Tektite, turning its eye to mush in the first strike. The monster squealed in pain and began attacking in random directions.

            Link recovered from his attack immediately, and quickly attacked again. The Tektite continued to squeal as he began smashing various parts of its body. Suddenly, the Tektite jerked one of its front legs up, hitting the rock out of Link's hand. "So that's how it's going to be, huh?" He said with grin on his face. Putting the Mirror Shield on his back, he dropped down and grabbed the monster by its legs. The Tektite squealed even more as he began to spin around in a circle going faster and faster. With a shout, he slammed the monster against a nearby rock wall.

            Without a sound, the Tektite collapsed to the ground, dead at last. Link stood there with a victorious grin on his face. "Take that!" He let out a small laugh and was about to leave when he felt something touch his shoulder. He hit the ground, rolled, and turned around to face whatever had touched him. "Hey, calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!" Link's eyes opened wide as he saw a Goron standing before him, a surprised look on its face.

            "Sorry about that." He said as he got off of the ground. "I had just killed that Tektite and was still a little primed." The Goron nodded his head. "I know. We heard the sounds of a fight outside and I came out to investigate." "What do you mean, 'we'?" The Goron turned around and pointed to the mine entrance. "When that man attacked, all we miners took refuge in the mine, but we had an accident."

            Link was concerned about this. "What happened?" "The day that man attacked, we were scheduled to blast a new section of mine. Two days ago a section of the new shaft collapsed, trapping a lot of people inside. We've been steadily clearing away the rock, but everyone's starting to get weak from lack of propped food." "I'll help out." The Goron smiled. "That's great! Follow me!"

            Link followed the Goron throughout the maze of tunnels, finally coming upon the cave in. He saw the strain that the entire situation had put on everyone. Quite a few people were sitting on the side, too weak to continue. Without a word, Link rushed forward and began digging. The work was slow and tedious. Taking out the wrong rock would trigger a flood of rocks, crushing him in an instant. Sweat formed on his forehead as the work progressed.

            'This is really weird.' Link thought. 'I normally would've been too exhausted to lift a finger, but I'm not getting tired at all.' Wiping his brow, he continued digging. He had been digging for two hours when he achieved breakthrough. "Hey everyone! I've opened a hole!" Link shouted to the people below him. The other diggers quit where they were working and climbed up to the hole. Working together, they enlarged enough so that the people on the other side could get out. Almost immediately they came, sliding down the rocks to the other side.

            Link got off the rock pile he had created and brushed himself off. The Goron he had talked to before came running over. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you thank you!" He said as he roughly shook Link's hand. "It was no problem." The Goron stopped and turned around. "Hey everyone! This is the guy who broke through!" He yelled to every other goron present. "How about we make him an honorary brother?" Shouts of agreement erupted from the crowd.

            'Uh oh.' Link thought. The Goron turned back around. "Hey, what's your name?" "Uhhhh… Link Kokirin." "Well Link, from now on, you are an honorary brother in the goron community. There's no big ceremony or anything. We just give you a token of our thanks." Link put on a silly little smile. "It's okay. I just wanted to help, that's all." The Goron patted him on the head, knocking him to his knees.

            "You're alright Link. We don't have much to give you." The Goron said as he rummaged around in his bag. "This is illegal, but right now there is no law so here." Link looked at the bag that was presented to him. "What's in it?" "Blasting charges. During medieval times, they were used as bombs but modern technology reduced them just minor demolition equipment." Link took the bag and checked inside. 'Damn, there're about forty charges in here!'

            He put the bag in his knapsack and said thank you to the Goron and was about to leave when he heard someone call out, "How about a big goron hug to send our brother off?" 'Oh shit.' After nearly being crushed by all the gorons that hugged him (about forty-five) Link exited the mines and looked over Hyrule City. Below he saw the empty Kakariko Heights and in the distance the forest. "Duh!" He smacked himself in the head. "The Great Deku Tree! I should go and ask him!" After a quick hike down the road, Link hopped on his moped and sped off.


	8. To Mend a Sword

            Link stopped his moped as he reached the bridge between Kakariko Heights and the rest of Hyrule City. Getting off, he stripped off all of his clothes to his underwear, and jumped in the river. With all the waterworks in the entire city offline, there current was next to nothing. Link floated on the surface, the water washing away the dirt from the mines.

            'This feels so good. I wish none of this had ever happened.' He thought. Opening his eyes, he could almost make out the pale form of the sun, defiantly trying to break through the clouds. After taking a quick drink from the river, Link climbed back up onto the bank to dry off. 'Thank goodness that this wind is good for something.' After a few minutes, he pulled his clothes and gear back on and drove off towards the forest.

            As he drove in, Link could feel something oppressive in the air. Remembering the Wolfos that attacked him from what seemed like a lifetime ago, he kept his bike at a speed that was a little dangerous to use in a heavily wooded area. Having made a general estimation of where the Kokiri village was located when he left, Link steered his bike towards he thought it was. He could remember the forest being full of life, but there was nothing but heavy silence all around.

            Link's guess was correct, as he soon drove over the familiar bridge and through the tunnel. When he pulled into sight of the village, he was surprised that the Kokiri were running around, laughing and playing like there was nothing going on. Link got off of his moped and ran to where the Great Deku Tree was. He could feel the stares of the Kokiri all around him. It was odd for an outsider to come to the village and even odder for one to willingly return.

            Link ran though the short passageway and stood on the grassy plain before the Great Deku Tree. *Link, thou hast returned. I feared for thy life after I felt the presence of Ganondorf once again.*

"I'm alright as you can see. Um, I've got a problem that I hoped that you could help me with."

*Ask away, young warrior.* Link found it kind of embarrassing to be called a warrior.

"Well, I've got the Master Sword. But there's a problem with it."

*A problem with the sacred sword? This is a most unfortunate turn of events. The Master Sword is the only weapon capable of defeating Ganondorf.*

"Yeah, so I've been told. Anyways, the problem is that the handle of the thing has been broken off and I was wondering if you know where it is." Link stood there in silence as he waited for the Great Deku Tree to respond.

            *Forgive me Link; my powers have been dwindling ever since Ganondorf returned to our world. However, I do sense a strong magical presence in the Forest Temple. Although I cannot tell what the source of this magic is, it is the only place that I can see.* Link nodded. "Thanks, I'll head there at once." He was about to leave when the Great Deku Tree stopped him. *Wait Link! The way is treacherous as the Forest Temple lies within the Lost Woods. I shall send a Kokiri to guide you through. Listen to what she says, as it will mean the difference between your life and death.*

            "If you say so." Link ran back out through the tunnel and waited for his guide. He didn't have to wait too long, as his guide was coming out of her house. Like all Kokiri, she was dressed in green and her blond hair was tied into two buns to the sides of her head. "Are you Link?" She asked. "Yeah. Are you my tour guide?" The Kokiri did not get his little joke. "I guess so. Follow me and don't wander off." She started running to the lost woods entrance above the village.

            Link only had to jog to keep up with her, the dirt path very easy. When they had gotten to the tunnel, they slowed down. "Now be careful. If you get lost, you'll eventually turn into a Staflos." "What's a Staflos?" "A skeleton warrior." Link gulped, becoming an undead skeleton not part of his plan. The forest was still deadly quiet as they walked through the maze of trees. Link occasionally heard something unfamiliar let out a shriek. After ten minutes of hiking, they emerged in a maze.

            "Okay, the Forest Temple is right through there. I'll stay here and wait for you." The Kokiri found a nearby rock and sat down on it. "Ummm, what about that maze?" Link asked, pointing to it. "It's not really a maze. You can make it through without me." He shrugged. "Okay, if you say so." He turned around and entered. Like she had said, it wasn't a maze. Just mounds of dirt made to look like one. After taking an unwanted dip in a pond, Link was at the entrance of the Forest Temple.

            'Now how the hell am I going to get up there?' He wondered as he looked at the broken steps. 'Maybe I can find something to use as a ramp.' He immediately thought of the nearby rotting tree. 'Yeah, that'll work.' Putting all of his strength into it, Link leaned his back on the tree and started pushing. "Come… on… dammit… FALL!" The tree started groaning in protest, its roots starting to splinter. With a cry, he finally toppled the tree and it made the perfect ramp for him.

            Pausing only a moment to catch his breath, Link climbed up the fallen tree and entered the Forest Temple. "This place is OLD!" He said, as he turned on his maglite. Walking through the first room, he could feel something in the air, although he couldn't put his finger on it. Link decided that he could sight see the place later, now was the time to be a treasure hunter. An hour later though, he had explored the entire temple and no sword handle. He did however; find a bow with a quiver of thirty arrows, which now hung on his belt.

            'This was an entire waste of time.' Link thought as he crossed the central room. He was surprised when the booth in the center of the room started to descend as soon as he had stepped in it. 'Must be an elevator of some kind.' The booth stopped after traveling a few stories down and Link stepped off. The booth stayed where it had come to a halt, waiting for him to board again. Looking around, he could see only a door to his right and a small closet space to his left. As he walked to the door, an eerie feeling started to overtake him.

            The door opened as soon as Link stepped in front of it. Walking through, he saw steps in front of him and an elevated platform in the center of the room. As he climbed the stairs, the door slammed shut, sealing him in like a tomb. As he reached the platform, Link's eyes lit up. Sitting in the center of the room was the hilt of the Master Sword. "YES!" Running over, he bent down and scooped it up. Holding it in his left hand, he felt as if it had been forged just for him. Quickly putting it in his knapsack, he went to leave when spiked bars shot up from the ground, blocking his retreat.

            "What the hell?" Link ran over and started to push the bars down when he heard a sound behind him. Whipping around, his eyes widened in horror as he saw Ganondorf sitting on his horse before him. "OH SHIT!" He slung the bow off of his shoulder and notched an arrow, ready to defend himself. Ganondorf grinned and started to pull his face off. Link gasped as a strange light emerged from underneath, finally revealing a skull. 'That's not him!' Phantom Ganon gave a shout, rose up into the air, and flew into one of the paintings.

            'This keeps on getting weirder and weirder.' Link watched the painting as he waited for the phantom to reemerge. He hears a sound behind him and turns around just in time to get hit with a ball of energy. It sends him into the nearby corner and knocks the bow and arrow from his hands. "Ow." Shaking his head, Link picked up his fallen items and waited for Phantom Ganon to make his next move. Keeping his eyes on the paintings, he was able to see the phantom rush him from within. 'That's right you bastard, just keep on coming.'

            A magic vortex appeared on the painting as the phantom emerged. "GOTCH YA!" Link pulled back the arrow, aimed, and let go. The arrow hit the phantom's horse immediately, causing it to turn around and head right back into the painting. Grinning, Link pulled another arrow from the quiver and got ready to fire. Looking into the paintings, he saw Phantom Ganon racing towards the front. 'Come on, I'm ready for ya.' The phantom reached the front, but then turned back inside. "What the-?"

            Link heard another vortex open to his right. Dropping the bow and arrow, he jumped to the side, just missing the ball of energy. 'Damn, that thing's got more than one trick up his sleeve.' He ran back over and retrieved his weapons. 'I'll have to find both of the paintings that he's going to come from.' Link spotted the phantom in the picture directly in front of him. Looking to his left, he saw an exact duplicate. He took a step back and got the arrow ready to fire. The first phantom he saw turned back and the other started to materialize. As soon as it was out, he let the arrow fly.

            Link watched with satisfaction as the ghost retreated back into the painting. 'Good, now I've figured out his attack pattern.' The next time that the phantom came out, he repeated his attack the same as before. After hitting Phantom Ganon a total of five times, the horse disappeared and the phantom floated in the air. Link pulled back his next arrow and let go, fully expecting to hit. Instead, the phantom knocked the arrow aside and laughed.

            'This ain't good. I can't hit him anymore.' He put his bow away and began to assess his options. The phantom charged up an energy ball and shot it at Link. He instantly jumped to his side, the ball harmlessly hitting the ground where he once stood. 'I am toast.' The battle progressed the same way for a few minutes, until an accident happened. When Link jumped to the side, he stumbled and fell. The energy ball hit the Mirror Shield and was reflected up at the ceiling.

            Without a second thought, Link jumped onto his feet and got the shield at ready. The phantom heedlessly charged up another ball and shot it. Link put the shield directly in front of himself and reflected the ball. The phantom was taken by surprise and was paralyzed by his own attack, falling to the ground. "YES!" Link got the bow and arrow out and started firing off arrows as fast as he could. The phantom let out shouts of pain as it was assaulted. As soon as the energy dissipated, it rose back into the air and resumed its attack.

            'Bring it on.' Link reshouldered his bow and took out the Mirror Shield. Phantom Ganon shot another round off and it was reflected. Not to be caught the same way twice; it hit the ball back, sending it faster than before. Link didn't even flinch as he kept the shield right in front of him. The ball was bounced back and forth a few times before finally paralyzing the phantom again. Quicker than the eye could follow, Link had the arrows flying through the air. The phantom's body was riddled with arrows. Finally, Link notched his final arrow and took aim on its head. "Asta la vista, baby."

            The arrow hit its mark and Phantom Ganon reeled in pain. Link watched with satisfaction as the phantom screamed in its death throes, evaporating into nothingness. At last the chamber silent, the bars retracted into the floor and he was able to leave. The feel of evil, which he had felt ever since he entered the forest, dissipated. Link quickly exited the now purified Forest Temple.

            In his floating castle, Ganondorf looked over what little land he had been able to conquer. The technology of the present was hard for him to understand. However, he was the only being on this plane of existence which could use magic. Suddenly he felt a notable portion of his power return to him. 'My phantom has been destroyed. Someone now has the hilt of the Master Sword in their possession.'

            Ganondorf remembered the three youths that he had cast a sleep spell over. It had been only a mere week since his return, and already he could feel his tedious hold on Hyrule starting to slip. He did the only thing that could ease his troubled soul. He sat down and started playing his organ.

            In the desert to the west, Zelda was occupying her time be exploring the military headquarters. Long ago, it had been the fortress of the Gerudo. Now it was where all military operations were conducted. "Zelda? Where are you?" Keith's voice rang out. He had become very protective of Zelda, much to her chagrin. "I'm over here." She yelled out. Keith quickly turned the corner to where she was. "I was wondering if you'd want a snack." "Sure, that sounds good."

            Pulling up a pair of crates for chairs, they sat down at a desk to eat. When Keith had learned magic, he created a thing called an 'interdimensional bag' that, as he put, could store a near infinite amount of objects in a small space. He pulled out two strips of beef jerky and handed one to Zelda. As she was chewing the tough food, she saw Keith check his gun, a Colt 1911A1, a habit which he had quickly fallen into. Although he had said he could protect Zelda from things that an army would crumble before, he carried one around to make her feel safe.

            After she had finished, Zelda told Keith she was going to lie down for a little while. "Alright, I'll be here if you need me." She walked over to the nearby bed that she had made up and fell asleep. She expected to have the nightmare again, but was pleasantly disappointed. Zelda found herself floating in the clouds above the ground, the sun as bright as a clear day. She smiled, feeling the warm glow of the sun rays upon her skin. She felt someone behind her, and turned around for the surprise of her life.

            Standing in front of Zelda, was what appeared to be a mirror of herself. Her twin was dressed differently, a flowing gown covering her body, long gloves on her arms, and numerous pieces of jewelry adorning her. "Greetings, my descendant." Her twin said with a smile. Zelda took a step back. "What?"

"Do not be alarmed. I have need to speak with you."

"Who… who are you?"

"I am your ancestor, the very first Zelda, once the princess of Hyrule." Zelda was shocked. "How is it possible that you're speaking to me?"

"Through a powerful force that flows through your veins."

"You mean, because we're related."

"Partially because of that."

"Then, how else could you be talking to me?"

"Through my bloodline, a great ward is passed down each generation. Your mother was the previous protector. That is, until you were born."

"What is this, thing then?"

"The Triforce of Wisdom. It is within you right now, dormant however because you have no knowledge of its existence."

            Zelda looked at her ancestor with wide eyes. 'Triforce of Wisdom? Sounds like something that Keith would have or at least, know about.' She felt a tingling on her right hand and looked at it. A symbol of three triangles appeared, the triangle on the right lighting up. Zelda felt as if her eyes opened for the first time as her mind and spirit were flooded with wisdom. "Now do you understand?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good. Now there is one more thing I must give you. Link will have to fight the Evil King Ganondorf. He will need the Arrow of Light, the only weapon capable of piercing Ganondorf's armor." Princess Zelda raised her hands in the air and a brilliant light emanated from between them. The light vanished and in its place was the Light Arrow. She sent it to Zelda, who took it immediately. "You must hurry. Link will soon face Ganondorf. Without the Light Arrow, he will be defeated, and all hope lost."

            Zelda awoke with a start. 'Did… did that just really happen?' She looked at her right hand and with very little concentration, made the symbol of the Triforce appear. Beside her was the Light Arrow, now looking like a normal arrow. Grabbing it, she ran off to Keith. When she found him, Zelda started saying that they had to go find Link. Keith was 100% against the idea, stating that her safety was his topmost priority. After a few minutes of arguing back and forth, Keith finally agreed. They got onto his moped and raced off in search of Link.

            As they passed the entrance to the governmental district, Keith immediately sensed danger. Without hesitation, he grabbed Zelda and fell off the bike with her, just in time to avoid getting destroyed by a fireball. His bike was destroyed, but he didn't care. He jumped to his feet and assumed a defensive position in front of Zelda. "I give you credit boy. Not many would've been able to survive that blast."

            Ganondorf rode up on his black steed. "I sense a power in you that I did not sense before. You must be a true Sheikah now." Keith stayed silent, confidant that he could withstand any attack of Ganondorf's now. "You are nothing before me." He raised his hand and summoned forth the powers of darkness to form a dark energy ball. Keith stood still. Ganondorf released the energy, it slamming into Keith in a mere fraction of a second. "AUGH!"

            Keith was thrown backwards, coming to a halt near the moat. "KEITH!" Zelda rushed over to her friend's aid. "Ugh, Zelda… Run…" He blacked out. "NOOOO!!!!" Ganondorf watched with amusement. Suddenly he felt the Triforce of Power start vibrating. 'Of course. As her descendant she would be the most logical bearer.' Ganondorf rode over to where the two teens were lying. "Now my dear, you will be coming with me."

            Link emerged from the forest in high spirits. 'This is great. It's still the first day and I'm almost done already.' Suddenly a scream pierced the air. 'Zelda!' He leaned down into the wind and managed to squeeze a few extra mphs out of his moped. As Link rode into view of the governmental district, he saw the smoke rising into the air, as well as the form of Keith on the ground. As soon as he got near, he jumped off his moped. It fell over and got the hell scratched and dented out of it, but he didn't take much account of that.

            Link bended down at his friend. "Keith! Keith!" He started shaking him. Groans started emanating from Keith's mouth as he regained consciousness. "Uhhhh… Link. Is… is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me bud."

"Uhhhh… Link, I failed. Ganondorf has Zelda. I… was cocky. I thought that I could withstand his magical attacks. I was wrong."

"He's got Zelda!?! He'll pay. He will definitely pay."

"Listen, Link. Zelda wanted to give you something. I don't know what it is. Do you have the piece?"

"I got. It's right in my knapsack."

"Good. Take it to the Sages. Repair the Master Sword. You MUST hurry!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I can sense it. Ganondorf's army is being pushed back. In a few hours, the army will be here."

"That's great! He'll be done for."

"No! Ganondorf is close to achieving his greatest goal. If he does, then no army on earth could stand up to him. You are the only one who can stop him."

"If you say so. What about you though?"

"I've got internal injuries."

"What does that mean? Broken bones?"

"No. Link… I'm dying."

"NO! You can't! Not after this!"

"Forget about me Link. I'm no longer an important factor in this." Link nodded and was about to leave when Keith stopped him one last time.

"Link, give no quarter, for you will be given none." Link then saw the light leave his friend's eye. "Destroy the bastard! Or prepare to die trying."

Link nodded and ran off into the heart of evil.


	9. Return to Ganon's Tower

Sorry about not updating for a while. With FFN being down, I got into other things for a while. But I'm back now.

            Link ran through the streets of the governmental district. Up head the Temple of Time loomed large in his mind and in his vision. Keith's last words stuck in his head. "_Destroy the bastard! Or prepare to die trying." He had every intention of doing just that. 'Ganondorf killed my best friend and kidnapped my other one. I am definitely going to kill him.' Link raced up the steps of the temple. Running down the central corridor, his footsteps echoing throughout the entire building, his mind became focused to a point._

            Link finally reached the pedestal where he had pulled the Master Sword from. The window above was still shattered and dark. "Sages, I've returned!" He called out. For a moment, he thought that nothing was going to happen. But then a beam of blue light emerged from the ceiling, pulling Link upward. When he next opened his eyes, he was standing back in the Chamber of Sages. In a blink of an eye, the six sages appeared. "Ah, Link, I assume that you have the hilt of the Master Sword?" Rauru asked.

            "Right here." Link answered, pulling it out of his knapsack. "Good. Now, remove the blade and hold both pieces out in your hands, the hilt in your left." He quickly complied, letting the Mirror Shield stay on the ground. The six sages held up their hands and began to speak out loud ancient words of magic. Link watched as both parts were enveloped in a bright light. Turning only for a moment to pickup the shield from where it lied on the ground, he saw both pieces come together in a brilliant beam. Shielding his eyes, he felt himself moving upward through the air.

            When Link next opened his eyes, he was back in the Chamber of the Master Sword. In front of him, resting once more in its pedestal, was the Master Sword, whole at long last. Walking up to it, he placed his left hand on the hilt and pulled it out. At once, Link felt a connection with the sword. If he was sure of anything right then, he was sure of this. 'It's mine. This sword is _mine.' With unpracticed fluid movement, he put the sword back into its sheath and ran out of the building._

            Hanging a right onto Main Street, he ran towards Ganondorf's castle. As Link climbed the dirt road, he realized with a great horror just how impossible the odds were that he was facing. Looking over the edge of the newly formed cliff, he could feel the intense heat that the lava below was throwing off. 'This is just great. Now how the hell am I to get from here to there?' Link thought. In a reply to his question, he heard Rauru's voice in his head.

            _"Link, I am communicating with you telepathically from through the void. We sages will combine our powers and make a bridge for you to cross. We know that you will defeat Ganondorf." With that statement, a bright light appeared in front of Link. The light then broke into the seven colors of the rainbow, and formed a bridge between the outcrop that he now stood upon and the entrance to the keep. 'This is unbelievable.'_

            Link carefully put his foot on the bridge. First to test if it was real, then to see if it would support his weight. Grinning, he ran the span of the bridge and into the castle. The walls were seemingly made out of obsidian slabs torn from the earth. A red carpet lined the center of the hall, almost welcoming those brave and resourceful enough to enter. The hall was lit by torches hanging on the wall.

            Link ran down the stairs, ignoring the evil permeated the space around him. The two beamos that served as guardians to the keep spotted him and began to charge up their magically created lasers. The beams sliced through the air, heating the area around them. Link simply rolled underneath the converging beams and continued onward. The door ahead slid open, also apparently welcoming him. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, it slammed shut behind him. The beamos detected his departure and ceased their laser beams.

            Link looked at the room he was in. There were several doors that could be seen, each of them with a symbol of one of the sages above it. In the center was a single doorway, designed to appear like the mouth of a skull. 'That has to be the one that leads to Ganondorf.' Link went over the bridge and into the skull's mouth. The path became dark only for a moment, then brightened to reveal a large room with a set of stairs to his left, leading upwards. Above he could hear the fluttering of bats, and… music?

            Looking up, Link strained his ears to catch more of the music. 'Sounds like an organ or something.' Shaking his head, he drew his sword and shield and ran up the stairs. The doors ahead of him opened up as soon as he stepped in front of them, again quickly closing as soon as he stepped through. Link ran across the room to the door up ahead, only to be stopped by the sudden appearance of two Staflos. The skeleton warriors laughed at him, jeering because of his youth and inexperience.

            Link simply raised his shield in front of him. 'Time to test this baby out.' He thought, raising the Master Sword high. The Staflos responded by putting up their shields and starting to circle him. He charged the one on the left, swinging his sword in an arc. The skeleton simply blocked with its own sword, jarring Link's arm.  Laughing, the monster raised its sword for a blow. He saw an opportunity to strike and took, bringing up his sword in an underhand stroke. The Staflos was not expecting this and was forced to stop its attack, leaping backwards with a grunt.

            Putting his shield back up, Link cautiously stepped up to his opponent again. This time however, the skeleton jumped forward with its sword out stretched. It thought that it had the boy, but he quickly slid to the left and avoided to blow. Link sliced his sword down upon the exposed Staflos, severing its head and killing it. He watched as it moaned once, then disintegrated. Grinning, he turned around to face the other one.

            The other Staflos had been watching and learning. Confidant that it knew Link's battle style, it laughed and moved forward. It swung its sword down, knowing that the youth would put his shield up there to block. And he did, leaving him open to its attack. Link felt the skeleton's foot slam into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground, gasping for air. 'Ohshitohshitohshit.' His mind began racing, desperately trying to find a way out of the situation. The Staflos laughed, as it raised its sword for the killing blow. The sword fell. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

            Link gripped his right arm tightly where the Staflos had sliced it. He had rolled away just in time to avoid getting impaled by the thing's sword. "You son of a BITCH!!!" He grabbed his sword from where it had fallen and charged the skeleton. Link took it by surprise and managed to take its head off in one swift stroke. He fell to ground, breathing heavily, his arm still bleeding. 'Now to take care of this cut.' Ripping his sleeves off at the shoulders he managed to turn them into a makeshift bandage with a one to spare. Picking up the shield from where it lied on the ground, he continued onward.

            The music started to get louder as he climbed the tower. Link came across two rooms identical to the one that he fought the Staflos in. He was currently stuck at the second one, a set of bars blocking the way. Banging on them, he began to get angry and frustrated. "Great, now how am I going to go forward?" Link said out loud to no one. Just then, all of the torches in the room went out at the same time. "Now this is just PERFECT!" Then the torches relight again instantly. "That was weird. Hey, what the…?" The shadows in the room started coming together.

            An eerie feeling crept up Link's back. He drew his sword and shield, ready to defend himself. The shadows became a black blob in the center of the room. For a minute it stayed like that, only drawing more shadows into itself. Then it began to change. Link's mouth opened up as he watched the shadow begin to rise and take form. The figure was his size and height, a sword and shield formed onto its back. Its glowing red eyes opened. "Goddesses…" He said unconsciously. The figure standing before him was none other than a new version of Dark Link.

            Link saw his doppelganger grin as it drew its own sword and shield. He cautiously walked to his twin, their eyes locked. 'How in the world can I beat myself??' He wondered as he waited for his opponent to make a move. They started circling each as soon they were within swords reach of each other. Link struck the first blow, swinging his sword from the left. To his complete surprise, his dark self did the same. Both of them brought their shields up to block the others blow.

            Link's shield shook from the force of the strike, causing him to hiss in pain. "In case you're wondering, we are linked together in body. Ever step you take so will I." Dark Link said, surprising his alter ego. 'Oh, crap. This is not good. Now I'm even worse off.' Link tried to bash him with his shield, but his counterpart did exactly the same. "Give it up. You can't win. I have more combat experience then you could ever have." "SHUT UP!!" With a cry, he raised his sword and charged.

            If anyone was watching, they would've barely been able to keep track of the two fighters. Neither one could gain an advantage over the over. Their swords came together at perfect angles, sending sparks to the ground. Every time Link felt his shield shake, his arm would send a fresh wave of pain, causing him curse. During that time, he somehow began to wonder how he knew how to fight so well. He had never had anything more serious then the occasional school yard scuffle. After fifteen minutes of continued fighting, they were both panting, swords crossed and faces just half a foot from each other.

            "I give you credit. I have not had a battle this long for a looong time. But alas, all good things must come to an end." Dark Link said, still grinning. Link suddenly got an idea. It would be a very big gamble and the chances of it not paying off were high, but it seemed to be the only way. He brought his head forward in an attempt to head-butt him. Just as Link expected, his dark self did the same exact thing. Both of them were stunned and disoriented. 'NOW.' He stabbed his sword forward, hoping that, against all odds, it'd something. It did.

            Dark Link let out a gasp as he felt the sword slice through his chest. Disbelief covered his face as he looked as his opponent. He choked as the sword was pulled free; no blood emerged from the gash. He dropped his own sword and shield as he fell to his knees. '_You have failed me for the last time! Now you will be no more!' Ganondorf's voice resounded in Dark Link's head. "No…" He croaked as he felt his body start to dissipate. "NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!" His dying wail echoed throughout the castle._

            Link collapsed against the wall breathing heavy. 'I won… I really won.' He looked over his weapons. The Master Sword was still as flawless as ever with no sigh of warping in the iron blade. The Mirror Shield had several scratches on the surface. Grunting, Link pulled himself off of the ground and put his weapons away. After dusting his jeans and green shirt off, he exited to now open door. 'This shit is too much for me. I'm only seventeen years old; I shouldn't have to do this.'

            He shook his head to clear it of thoughts and immediately regretted. Link put his hand to his brow as the headache settled in. 'I'm going to have to take some aspirin when I get out of here.' He went through another nearby door and found himself at the foot of a giant staircase. Link ran up, knowing that at the top waited Ganondorf. The organ's music got louder as he climbed the stairs. He also wondered if it was an illusion that the room got brighter as he went higher. At last he reached the top. All doubt tossed aside, he opened the final door.


	10. Deadly Deja Vu

            Link boldly stepped through, the door banging shut. Up ahead he could see a massive organ that took up almost the entire wall space. Ganondorf calmly sat in front, striking the notes to his evil tune. Above him floated a pink crystal, holding a beauty captive. "Link!" Zelda shouted out, banging on the walls of her prison. "Zelda! Let her go, she doesn't have anything to do with this." Link yelled out, gripping his weapons even tighter.

            Ganondorf stopped playing. "I am afraid that you are sorely mistaken boy. She has everything to do with this. You, on the other hand, are just an annoying fly buzzing around my head. And do you know what I do to flies? I squash them!" With that, he turned around and faced Link. "I should have ended your life last week, but I did not. That was a mistake on my part. One that I intend to correct immediately!"

            Ganondorf waved his hand and his organ and Zelda disappeared. "Link…!" She called out as she vanished. Link watched as she disappeared from sight. His anger burned as he watched Ganondorf sneer. "You kill my best friend Keith, you kidnap Zelda, and you try to conquer my world. I am SO going to enjoy kicking your ass!" Ganondorf laughed as rose up into the air. Black magic quickly gathered to his fist as he pounded the ground.

            Link felt the floor beneath him shift and begin to fall. "Oh shit!" He jumped to the side just in time to avoid falling to his death. "You see the power that you try to destroy!" Ganondorf taunted as he floated in the air. "Fight me face to face and we'll see who's stronger!" Link yelled out, leaning forward. He watched as Ganondorf sent a ball of magic through the air at him. He remembered his fight with Phantom Ganon and put up his shield to reflect the shot.

            And was utterly surprised when it passed right through and hit his body. "Eeaahhh…" Link fell to the ground twitching. "Heh heh heh. Not as easy as you expect, is it?" Ganondorf laughed from up above. Link could fell the magic begin to run out. He shook his head and climbed back on his feet. "Is that your best? Cause if it is, you're dead meat." That remark infuriated Ganondorf and he quickly launched another ball. Link suddenly had an idea. Grinning, he dropped the Mirror shield on the ground and gripped the Master Sword with both hands.

            "BATTER UP!" He swung the sword with such speed that the projectile was hit back three times as fast, hitting a very surprised Ganondorf. Link silently celebrated has Ganondorf sat suspended in midair. He reached into the bag holding the blasting charges that were given to him. Pulling the round explosive out, he pulled the lighting cap off of the fuse. Sparks danced on top and quickly made their way down. "Oh shit! Quick fuse!" He tossed the bomb at Ganondorf.

            Link watched as the bomb sailed through the air, almost at the point of detonation. It reached Ganondorf just as he threw off the effects of his own spell. *BBBOOOOOOMMM* Ganondorf gasped in pain. "You… you INSOLENT LITTLE WORM!!!" Ganondorf tossed another magic ball at Link who promptly hit it back with his sword. Not to be fooled a second time, Ganondorf was ready and hit the ball back. The game of catch went on until Ganondorf missed and was hit again.

            Link pulled out another bomb, lit it, and heaved it. But he had forgotten that the previous bomb had a quick fuse and the bomb landed harmlessly underneath Ganondorf. The bomb blew up without even harming him. "Dammit!" Link swore as he watched Ganondorf come out of his trance. The fight continued, each contestant falling silent. Link was able to hit Ganondorf three more times before Ganondorf changed his attack. "What the hell?" Ganondorf floated higher in the air, chanting dark words.

            Link saw orbs of darkness gather above Ganondorf. Soon they began to glow with their own dark light. 'Uh oh.' Link didn't know what was about to happen, but he was sure that he wasn't going to like it. He dropped to a crouch, put his shield up, and hoped for the best. Ganondorf released the dark magic and it spread throughout the room. The Mirror Shield wasn't able to protect Link from this threat and he was hit. He fell motionless to the ground as the darkness overwhelmed his senses. He could hear the whispers of the dead, telling him evil things.

            He refused to listen and forced his body to get up. Link blinked the tears of pain away from his eyes as he rose to fight once more. Looking, he could clearly see that the spell had been one of Ganondorf's last ditch moves. His cloak had several large holes in it. Enraged, Ganondorf began forming the spell again. Link suddenly had a brilliant idea on how to defeat Ganondorf. He took out a bomb and lit the fuse. He did not throw it however; he simply waited while Ganondorf gathered energy for the attack.

            'Three… two… one… NOW!' Link heaved the bomb with all his strength, timing it so that it would explode at the focus of the spell. Ganondorf only had time to register disbelief. *BBBOOOOOOOMMMMM* The explosion, coupled with the dark magic, created a massive backlash of energy at Ganondorf. Link shielded his face as clouds of dust and air whirled past him. When it stopped he saw Ganondorf knelling on the ground, gasping for air. "How… how can this be? You can't even use magic!" Screaming in pain and anger, Ganondorf rose up to his full height.

            The walls around them began to crack and finally crumble.  In a flash of light, all that remained was a small portion of the room. Ganondorf's body fell on the ground in front of Link, seemingly bowing to his superior. "Whew, I'm glad that's over." Looking up, he watched as Zelda's crystal prison descended from the sky and disappear. "Zelda! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Link, but… I don't understand."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"From what I was told, you shouldn't have been able to kill Ganondorf."

            Just then the tower started rumbling as it fell apart. "Time to go." Link said as he grabbed Zelda's hand. The two started running down the nearby outer path. "Oh man, not now!" Link exclaimed as they reached a set of iron bars blocking their path. He tried to squeeze through, but to no avail. "Link, step aside." Zelda said as she walked up to the obstacle. He was about to protest, but was quickly silenced when the bars slid up. "How the hell did you do that?"

            Zelda smiled as she held up her right hand, showing the symbol of the Triforce of Wisdom. "Magic." Link shook his head. "Man I wish I could use that stuff." Zelda continued to smile as she ran head. "Hey, wait up!" Link ran after her. As they ran through the halls and rooms, debris littered the floor and chunks of the ceiling frequently fell to the ground. Zelda lead the way with Link following close behind her.

            They had just made it out of the central spire and back into the main room when a Redead jumped out of the shadows and attacked Link. He hit the floor and rolled out of its arm reach. "Zelda, go on ahead! I'll catch up." "But Link-" "GO!" Looking back once more, Zelda ran on. Link watched only for a moment to make sure that she was safe. He turned his attention back the Redead. To his surprise, he recognized the person it had once been. 'It's that old guy that followed us last week when we found the Master Sword.'

            The Redead opened its mouth and let out a horrible scream. So horrible that it sent chills down Link's spine and froze him in place. Sensing that it had succeeded, the Redead lumbered up to its prey. 'Come one, move! Move, dammit, move!' Try as he could, Link could not get his body to respond to his command. The Redead stepped even closer to him. Just when it was about to move in for the kill, a surge of adrenaline released Link from his paralysis.

            Bringing his arm around in a quick swipe, he separated the Redead's head from its shoulder. Without taking a moment to catch his breath, Link turned around and ran towards the exit, the tower finally collapsing. He ran faster and faster up the flight of stairs, jumping of the debris blocking path. Finally, he ran out right of the exit and straight into Zelda. The two collapsed to the ground, Link panting for air. "Ack… Link… I can't… breathe." Embarrassed, he immediately stood up "Heh heh, sorry Zel."

            Offering her his hand, Link pulled Zelda off of the ground. "Thanks Link." She said as she dusted her clothes off. They turned and watched silently as the evil tower imploded. The central spire fell directly to the ground. The numerous towers encircling the spire either fell inward or over the side and into the lava pit below. A cloud of dust rushed out of the doorway they had exited from. Finally, only a single platform remained. "It's over. It's finally all over."

            Zelda and Link faced each other. "When I first saw you Link, I never would've thought that you could do any of this." All Link could do was laugh. "Yeah, if someone had told me I was going to do this, I would probably try to have him committed." A low rumbling then erupted from the center of the plain. A grim look on his face, Link drew his sword and shield and ran over to investigate.

            When he was halfway there, a ring of fire suddenly enveloped the field, separating him from everything else. "What the…" *BAM* His jaw dropped as he watched Ganondorf rise up from the ruble, still breathing. "I don't BELIEVE this!" Link took a step back into a defensive position. Ganondorf raised his right hand for all to see, the Triforce of Power burning brightly. With a ferocious growl, he activated its magic and altered his form. Slowly, he transformed into a pig-like creature, sporting a massive tail and two mean looking swords.

            The skies above crackled with thunder as the heavens bore witness to this fight, the one that decided the fate of the world. Ganon roared in primal fury and swung his massive swords. Out of instinct, Link put up his arms to protect his face. One of Ganon's swords struck the Master Sword, the force sending it flying out of Link's hands. Link watched as his sword spun through the air and landed next to Zelda. His face still grim, he reached for the only weapon he had, his bombs.

He doubted that it could have the slightest chance of hurting Ganon, but it was better that nothing. He was at calm, even though he was about to face the devil. Ganon roared once more before turning his attention to Link. Link ran away, knowing that he had to put some distance between himself and those massive swords of Ganon's. He always kept his eye on Ganon, never even checking to see how close he was to the wall of fire. He could feel that.

Link pulled the cap on the bomb, lighting it. Waiting a few seconds, he threw on the ground to where Ganon was soon to step. *BBOOOOMM* The explosion caused Ganon to roar in pain. Link couldn't help but smile as he pulled another bomb out. "Here piggy piggy piggy." He doubted that Ganon had heard him as the giant didn't even change his approach. He repeated the same procedure as before; light, wait, toss, throw, *BBBOOOOOMM* Ganon, blinded by rage, could not think of anything other than killing Link.

Link grabbed another bomb out of his pouch. He lit the fuse and shouted out, "HEY YOU FREAK! EAT THIS!!" He tossed the bomb up into the air. Just as he had timed it, the bomb exploded in Ganon's face. The giant squealed and fell to the ground. The ring of fire around the battleground died out for the moment. "Link! Over here!" Zelda called out. Looking in her direction, he could see the Master Sword stuck in the ground beside her. Running over he quickly retrieved his sword.

Just as he was about to run back, Zelda grabbed his arm. "Link wait, I need to give you something." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the Light Arrow and handed it to Link. Since he didn't have any magical abilities however, all he saw was a normal arrow. "Uh, thanks. I guess." He dropped it into his quiver and ran back. By this time Ganon had recovered. With a roar, he stood back up and reactivated the firewall. Sword raised, Link charged Ganon.

The giant swiped his sword at Link and he managed to duck underneath with just inches to spare. Taking the opportunity, he swung his sword up into Ganon's unprotected belly. *CLANG* He was surprised when it was reflected by Ganon's natural armor. 'Oh shit!' Rolling to the side, Link escaped being crushed by his massive tail. Ganon swung his sword, the flat hitting Link in the chest. He went flying through the air, stopping when he some debris. "LINK!!!" Zelda screamed out.

In a daze, Link got up. Shaking his head, he ran back and attacked Ganon. *TING! TING! TI-TING!* The sounds of their swords clashing could be heard for miles around. All Zelda could was watch helplessly. *TING! KLING! KL-TING!* Link and Ganon continued to fight each other, but it was apparent that Link was losing. The day's stress, coupled with battle fatigue, was wearing him out fast. He could barely block the blows. Out of desperation, his mind called out for help. 'Ancestor… help me.'

In the blink of an eye, Link found himself looking down. Time was frozen in place. He could see himself still struggling to counter the strength of Ganon's sword. "What the hell is going on?" "Hey, you asked for my help." Link spun around and saw his ancestor, the very first Link, still wearing his Kokiri garb. "Holy shit! I didn't expect that would work!"

"Well, it did. I'm allowed to bend the rules sometimes." Link looked over his descendant from head to toe.

"Nice shirt."

"Heh, it was just something I threw on last week. I didn't know the color green was a family color." Both of them had a good laugh at that. The laughter died down when Link looked down at himself.

"I don't think that I can do this."

"Oh? And why not? I did. You made it this far with just bombs, the Master Sword, and the Mirror Shield, something I couldn't have done!"

"I know. It's just that, I don't think I can do this." Link started feeling despair well up.

"I think I know what the problem is. Answer my question, and answer it honestly. Do you believe?" Link looked at his ancestor questioningly, and then sighed.

"No, I don't. I never believed in any of this. I was just doing what I was told. Whether it was by Keith or the Sage's, all I did was follow orders." Link fell on his knees in self-pity. Link walked over to his descendant and knelled down in front of him.

"Listen, Hyrule outlawing magic did have good effects. It stopped wizard wars and allowed technology to start being built up. The problem is that they no longer taught any magic, or any religion. That is where they screwed up. Hyrule needs a spiritual revival. It needs to believe in the goddesses again, and so do you."

Link shot up from the floor and turned around.

"But how am I to believe in these goddesses if I there isn't proof of their existence?" Rising from his knees, Link turned his descendant around.

"You already HAVE the proof. So did I, and so did everyone in my bloodline." Link held up his left fist and the symbol of the Triforce of Courage appeared. Link stared amazingly until he felt something on his own left hand. Looking down, he saw the same symbol appeared. With awe in his face, he looked up. He saw that he came from a long line of heroes, each and every one of them named Link, and each of them bearing the Triforce of Courage. In a flash, Link found himself fighting Ganon again.

            A determined look appeared on his face as he shoved Ganon's sword back. The Triforce of Courage burned brightly on his left hand, healing his mind, body, and spirit.

            Gone was Link Kokirin, the boy playing war. In his place stood Link, Hero of Time.

            With a shout, Link leapt at Ganon and started slashing furiously. Ganon quickly found himself fighting defensively. Somewhere in the deep, dark abyss of his mind, where Ganondorf's intelligence remained, he was bewildered. 'No! This can not be! How can I have not sensed the Triforce of Courage?!?' At long last, Link forced his opponent onto the ground. Ganon's eyes still blazed with hatred, even though he squeaked in pain. Sensing that its ultimate power was needed, the Master Sword glowed in response.

            Link slashed at Ganon's head, drawing blood with each stroke. Then he shoved the Master Sword right through his skull. He waited a moment before withdrawing his sword and sheathing it. Ganon rose up a screamed his pain and hatred to the sky which flashed with lightning in reply. Quickly drawing the Light Arrow from his quiver, Link notched it into his bow and activated it power. "NOT THIS TIME!!" He shouted out before shooting it into the hole in Ganon's head.

            At once all was silent. Ganon's body was consumed by the power of the Arrow of Light, leaving no trace behind. Link shielded his eyes from the bright light. The firewall died down, and strange golden light appeared. Link's jaw dropped as he beheld the Triforce of Power. "Link Kokirin, you have killed my former bearer Ganondorf Dragmire. The right to bear me is yours and yours alone. I await thee."

            Eagerly walking forward, Link touched the Triforce piece and felt himself overwhelmed by its power. Looking at his trembling left hand, he could see two triangle lit up. There was only one piece left and he knew where it was. Walking over to Zelda, Link stretched out his left hand. "Zelda, give me the Triforce of Wisdom." Zelda stared at him. For the first time, she feared him. "O… okay Link. If you say so." She took his left hand with her right. At once she screamed out in pain as the Triforce piece was ripped from her body.

            When the ordeal ended, Zelda fell down, exhausted. Link however, was far from that. His body began to rise as it was empowered by the completed Triforce. 'I have power, wisdom, and courage. I am a GOD! I can have anything I want and no one could ever stop me!' Link began to have dreams of himself as the ruler of the world… no the universe! There was nothing that could stop him now.

            But then he thought of something. He thought of his parents, wracked with pain as they thought of the fate of their son. He thought of the innocents that had been killed by a madman's quest for the ultimate power. He thought of Keith, lying on the road, having given his life to protect Zelda. "No… NNOOOOO!!!!!" With a cry, he expelled all three Triforce pieces from his body. He fell to the platform below and hit very hard. He lied there on the ground, panting, feeling weaker then ever before. 'Holy shit that was WAY to close.'

            Finally, Link looked up and saw the Triforce spinning in the air.  In pain, he pulled himself off of the ground and walked over to it. "He who stands before me, I am the sacred Triforce. I was created by the three golden goddesses: Din, Nayru, and Farore. I was left at the place where they had departed from this world. By right, you may have one wish." Link looked in upon himself as he thought of what he should do. A moment later he nodded his head.

            He knew what to wish for.


	11. Epilogue

            Link looked at the Triforce, his mind made up on his wish. 'As long as this thing is here, there will always be some madman willing to kill innocents to get it.' He cleared his throat and then spoke loud and clear. "I wish that you would go away someplace where no being could ever lay claim to you again!" Link waited for his response, fearing that it would not comply. "So you wish, so it will be." And in a flash of gold, the Triforce was gone forever.

            Link looked at the empty space for a moment longer before falling to his knees. 'I did. I saved the world. And know Gannondorf is dead and the Triforce gone for good.' He heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he could see Zelda bend over and offer him her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here." Link grabbed Zelda's hand and pulled himself up. "Um, I don't know how we can. You see, I came over here on a magical bridge and now it's gone." The ground below them began to rumble and break apart.

            In an instant, they were falling down towards the lava pit. "AAAHHH-" Their screams were cut off when the hit the ground. Looking up, Zelda and Link could see, in all its faded glory, the old castle standing once again. They picked themselves off of the ground and dusted their clothes up. For a moment they stood in silence and then Zelda walked up to Link. "This is going to sound very cheesy and typical, but…" She looked into his eyes. "You're my hero."

            Link stood in place for a second before grinning and looking at the ground. "You're right, that is cheesy, heh heh." "However, a hero's effort deserves a hero's reward." Zelda put her arms around Link and kissed him. Link immediately closed his eyes and puts his arms around her. They stayed like that for several seconds before finally breaking. Link smiled as he looked into Zelda's eyes. "I love you Zelda." He said, his face turning a slight shade of pink. Zelda smiled back at him. "I love you too Link."

            They briefly kissed once more before separating from each other. "Let's get the hell out of here." Link said as he turned to walk away. With Zelda following closely, they slid down the nearby hill and landed safely on the ground. When they turned onto Main Street, the two youths were at once met with some two hundred gun barrels. Link put up his arms. "Hey, it's okay! He's dead. I killed him."

            An army officer led the two teens to a base camp that had been set up in the city park, near the Temple of Time. Various tents were in place, serving different purposes. The officer led the to a particularly large M.A.S.H. (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) tent. "Okay, you kids can rest in here. I'm going to need you're names though. Give them to our head doctor. He's somewhere around here, just ask around." The officer left to his other duties.

            Link and Zelda stood in an awkward silence until a middle-aged man walked up to them. "Ah, more survivors. We've been getting a lot fortunately. Let me introduce myself. I'm Captain Hawkeye Pierce, the big cheese around here." The man said as he gave them a quick look. "Well, you two seem to be in perfect condition. I'm going to need you're names for all the legal stuff."

"I'm Link Kokirin; I live down in the Lake Hylia Suburbs."

"And I'm Zelda King; I live in the Kakariko District."

"You said you're names were Link and Zelda? Well, we've got someone here who's looking for you two. I can't remember where he his though. Radar!"

"Here sir." A small man where glasses appeared out of nowhere and handed Hawkeye a clipboard. "Ah, thanks Radar." "No problem sir." Link watched as Radar walked away. "What's up with that guy?" He asked. "Who, Corporal O' Reiley?"

"Yeah, him."

"Nothing, that's just the way he is. I swear, if anyone had e.s.p, it'd be him. Anyways, your friend is located in ward three. Just turn around and go straight. After you've finished you're business, feel free to walk around. Just keep an eye out for Frank; he's the big rat that's always after cheese." With a smile and a nod, Hawkeye left to attend to his other patients.

            Link and Zelda followed Hawkeye's directions and located ward three. Link saw two people in there he recognized. Malon was sitting on a bed talking to one of the nurses, but she didn't know about Zelda. The other person did though. "Keith! You're alive!" Link ran over to his best friend's side and looked down at him. "Hey man. Good to see you too." Although his voice was weak, Keith seemed to be fine. "It's great to see that you're still alive. I thought you told me that were about to die. Not that I'm complaining."

            Keith started to laugh, but was cut off by a fit of coughing. "Yeah, I remember. Luckily the army found me. They had to operate, but I'm going to live. They say it'll be a week before I can leave my bed, but they don't know that I'm a sheikah. I'll be fine by tomorrow." Keith smiled then caught a sight of Link and Zelda holding hands. He looked back up at them. "I guess you'll be protecting Zelda now, eh Link?" Link and Zelda looked at each other and simply smiled. Keith laughed weakly for a moment before turning to more serious matters.

            "Link, what happened to Ganondorf? And the Triforce?"

"Ganondorf's dead and the Triforce is gone for good."

"Good. Now you know what you have to do." Link looked at his friend for a moment then realized what he meant. "I have to put the Master Sword back, don't I?"

"Yes you do. The Master Sword is only meant to be used during times of extreme danger. Now that the danger has passed, it must rest again. Afterwards put the stones back where they belong." Keith sighed and looked out the window. "Now at least we can look forward to a better tomorrow. I don't what would've happened if you tried to destroy the Triforce but I'm glad you didn't. The world is much safer now with it gone."

            Link, Zelda, and Keith looked out the window has a new day dawned.

            _Well, that's it. Story finished at last. It's taken me half a year, but I'm glad at its success. If anyone wants to use my characters in their own stories, that's fine. I'm not going to make anymore with them. Just one rule though. You have to give me credit in the beginning of the story.  I'd also like if you e-mail me what the name is. After all, I'd sure as hell like to read it :). I now close my story with a quote:_

                                    "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."                                                                                                                                                        -British Lord Acton. 1834-1902


	12. Author's Note

            Well, it's been a year since I first posted this story. A lot has happened since then. I've moved onto other stories in other sections. When I first started this fic, I didn't have much experience in writing. As time progressed I learned the things that can only come from practice.

            My first version of this story was MUCH different than the one that I wrote. Basically it would've been just Ocarina of Time in the modern world. Instead of Link awakening the sages, he would've released the sage spirits. We also would've seen more of Keith and more of what happened while he was running around Hyrule with Zelda.

            I decided that it was a very unoriginal idea and tossed it away; coming up with the version you have now. In case I still have any fans in this section, don't worry. I will be making a return with-in a few months with a brand new story. Well, sort of brand new.

            To tell the truth, I'll be writing a story on the EXTREMELY overused angle of 'player gets sucked into game'. But I'm adding a very big twist in the plot. One of which I'll only reveal at the end of the story. The other one is that the one of the main characters (the other being Link), a seventeen year old by the name of Scott Carey, hasn't beaten the game yet.

            One of my main hopes for that story is that people will like the way it is written. You see, all other stories from this angle or either a) romances or b) comedies. Mine will be purely action/adventure.

            On a final note, the offer I made at the end of this story still holds. All you HAVE to is let me know that you're doing it, that's all. Though I would like you to tell me what the name of the story is. After all, don't you think I might want to read it? : )

            When the two year anniversary comes around, who knows? I just might re-write it. Until next time!

                                                                                                                                                -Blizrun


End file.
